After the astronomical success of Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, Om Raut was handed over the responsibility of adapting the sacred text of Ramayan into a feature film. The filmmaker was sanctioned an unheard budget of Rs. 600 Crores for this magnum opus. Raut bagged one of the biggest stars of Indian cinema- Prabhas as Shree Ram and called back Saif Ali Khan to portray the villainous Raavan. Having everything in place, hardly anything could go wrong because this was the perfect combination once could think of. However, as the first teaser dropped in October 2022, there was a wave of hate for the film. Mainly the criticisms were regarding the poor VFX and portrayal of characters like Raavan and Ram. Considering the hate, the makers delayed the film by six months in order improve the CGI. The film released last week and once again the hate for the film is uncanny but is it justified? Does Adipurush deserve the kind of hate it is receiving?
Adipurush: When Film Criticism Gets Destructive!
So, right off the bat, I have seen Adipurush and I didn’t like the film. All the criticisms that the fans have are valid. Certainly this is not the Ramayan we deserve. However, there is a difference between calling out a bad film and outright harassing the makers. I’ve been reading and listening to some of the things said by reviewers and the film fraternity which sounds absolutely crazy to me. Mukesh Khanna – the face of Shaktiman said that the makers of Adipurush should be burnt at 50 degree Celsius. Really?
Why don’t we just put them in gas chambers then? Many people are also claiming that this is a deliberate attempt to defame the Indian Epic? I mean if the intention was that then why would someone invest 600-700 crores for it? They’d simply make a cheap adaptation. No filmmaker takes the risk of making a bad film. Something definitely must’ve gone wrong during the development where Raut’s vision didn’t translate to the big screen. This film is not an attack on Hinduism.
It is simply a bad product. I don’t know why people fail to understand this. Also, for everyone questioning where did the money go as the visuals of the film are abysmal then let me explain. A report states that there are a total of 4400 VFX shots in Adipurush over an estimated budget of 600-700 crores. Let me put things in perspective for you. Last year’s RRR had 2800 VFX shots, Avengers: Endgame had only 2500. RRR was made in 550 crores while Endgame $400 million (Rs. 3280 crores).
See what I’m getting at? Adipurush’s overuse of VFX has led to its downfall. This is a creative problem. The makers should’ve avoided the heavy reliance of visual effects. Too little money for too much VFX. Nothing else. The makers aren’t lying about the budget. Now coming to the biggest issue, the vision of Om Raut. I accept it what I saw was abysmal but is the hate valid? Should the film be banned? I don’t think so. As a filmmaker once you get such a huge budget you tend to finds ways of getting the money back.
Hence, the casting of Prabhas which promises box office returns. Much is said about Raavan’s look but you have to understand that Raut was trying to make the film to attract the young audiences who are heavily influenced by Marvel comics, DC comics, Game of Thrones and other pop culture giants. A new adaptation of Ramayan where he tried to do something different, maybe one might even say radical. Given the craze of superhero films at the time of film’s development the makers did think this was a good idea. A modern Raavan isn’t a bad thought.
However, in the quest of modernizing or making the film pop culturally significant the essence of the epic was lost which is the fault of a creative error. The bad dialogues are also a product of the confused vision. Raut wants to keep the divinity of the text but also wants the film earn money hence the lines are just like any Hindi masala film. I believe the pressure of the budget made Raut opt such decisions where his vision couldn’t stay true to the sacred epic or become a powerful new rendition. He was stuck somewhere in the middle.
Add to that the poor VFX work which happened because Raut is no Cameron. You need to have a veteran to helm an Adipurush. In an Indian context, Rajamouli or Bhansali are the best options. Raut was not the ideal choice to direct this film. Hence, despite all the flaws Adipurush shouldn’t be banned. It is a bad product due to a multitude of reasons, some of which I listed above. Indian audiences are free to reject the film but banning any artistic expression is a form of dictatorship. Hence, the call for ban is unreasonable and uncalled for.
Jai Shree Ram! Adipurush is currently playing in theatres near you.
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