On the eve of Diwali, the much awaited magnum opus by Nitesh Tiwari has hit the screens with a thunderous reception from the audience. It was always expected to have a earth shattering initial coz of the hype that it had generated courtesy of the cast & crew that had assembled in it with an estimated budget of 4000C across both parts. So were the makers able to justify the hype???
For many of us, the first exposure to this epic was Ramanand Sagar's "Ramayan" that was telecast in Doordarshan in the last 80s & from Amar Chitra Katha. Subsequently, the present generation also got a glimpse of it when it was retelecasted during the Covid shutdown. So much so, it is a story that most of us have a reasonable idea about & hence I was curious as to how Nitesh was going to draft the screenplay in the company of Shridhar Raghavan, to keep us invested in it.
His idea to focus on the origins of Raavan was judicious as it was an area that hasn't been explored much. The character was created in such a manner that it gave it various layers rather than a single dimensional dark shade. His will power, intellect, arrogance & menacing nature was aptly written in. At the same time, Ram's section was significantly trimmed which made sense as we pretty much know about it. But in doing so, the events felt rather rushed or side tracked, and the emotional connect didn't seem well established in certain sections. At the same time, I did like the way Sita & Lakshman's characters were etched out as it was slightly different from the other versions that we are familiar with.
Coming to the technical portions, kudos to the brilliant picturisation by Pankaj Kumar and Mahesh Limaye. The VFX and CGI was top notch with the action sequences being the stand out especially the Jatayu segment and the Airavat portion. At the same time, a bit more attention to the Rakshasas would have been better as it lacked the finesse expected. This project also saw the coming together of Hans Zimmer & AR Rahman, with the BGM having that majestic feel at times and the tracks being fine (though a couple of them seemed inspired from ARR's earlier creations).
After the lows of "Toxic", Yash made an impactful comeback as Raavan & he was sensational at it by imparting the aura and fierceness that the character demanded. Sai Pallavi was impressive (fail to understand the trolls against her) with Ranbir Kapoor doing justice to his part. Shobhana was spot on while Arun Govil (the OG Ram as Dasaratha) & Ravi Dubey (as Lakshman) was fine. There were a plethora of other artists as well, most of whom did their parts aptly.
Verdict: This is a must watch in theatres for its visual spectacle & deserves praise for the exceptional work done by the cast & crew. Irrespective of the eventual fate, hats off to Namit for his willingness to invest such a gargantuan amount on this movie. There are obviously some flaws (as mentioned above), but Nitesh made sure that his vision made sense & made best use of the money. In short, do check it out!!
Rating: 3.75/5
Regards...Ben
