Cast: Ranbir Kapoor & Yash, Sai Pallavi, Sunny Deol, Anupam Kher, Arun Govil, Rakul Preet, Vivek Oberoi, Lara Dutta, Ravie Dubey, Shobha...
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor & Yash, Sai Pallavi, Sunny Deol, Anupam Kher, Arun Govil, Rakul Preet, Vivek Oberoi, Lara Dutta, Ravie Dubey, Shobhana, Sheeba Chadha
Directed by: Nitesh Tiwari
Music by : Hans Zimmer & A R Rahman
Director Nitesh Tiwari helms this version of Ramayana which celebrates the eternal triumph of good over evil. There would be comparisons with Ramanand Sagar’s television epic but this film is a big screen spectacle and Tiwari tries to leave no stone unturned by keeping the viewers hooked. Yes the scene where Bharat takes Ram’s padukas home and keeps them on the throne and his showdown with his mother Kaikayi are missing but these are just minor blemishes. He also narrates the backstory of Ravana who was born Dashanan until his mother asks him to seek revenge on Indra who had made the asuras the slaved in ‘Devlok’. This definitely deserves brownie points and so does the sequences involving Ravana and Brahma and the fight sequence between Indra and Ravana. Another striking sequence is the fight between Jatayu and Ravana on Pushpaka-Vimana. On the whole, Tiwari has mounted the film on an extremely grand scale. The spiritual and emotional connect is also there and that keeps the film in line with the sentiments.
The visual effects (Academy Award winner DNEG) deserves to be applauded because of the bar that they have raised with this film. Simply outstanding. The set / production designs too are worth mentioning.
The film finishes with Ram vowing to seek revenge on Ravana who has abducted Sita on the behest of his sister Surpnakha.
The music by Hans Zimmer and A R Rahman are possibly the weakest and feels nothing compared to Ravindra Jain whose music stood out in the television series.
Ranbir Kapoor as Ram and Yash (voice dubbed by Sharad Kelkar) as Ravana complement each other as the epitome of good and bad. The latter has a lot to show and he delivers it with aplomb. His larger-than-life portrayal makes him a formidable antagonist. Ranbir on the other hand is restrained and maintains a calm demeanour that is required of him for the portrayal of Ram. Both are effortless and have terrific screen presence. Ranbir lets his eyes do the talking which elevates the required aura. He also appears as sage Parashuram.
Sai Pallavi as Sita though dignified, appears pale in comparison. She does have her moments though. As Lakshman, Ravie Dubey is excellent. He bring a kind of sincere energy that is required of the character. Rakul Preet looks stunning as Surpnakha and delivers an impactful performance. Shobhana as Ravana’s mother is superb and so is Lara Dutta as Kaikayi. Anupam Kher (voice of Jatayu and Suthradhar) is fantastic. Vivek Oberoi as Vidyutjeev, the husband of Surpnakha is effective and so is Sheeba Chadha as Manthara. It’s good to see Arun Govil (after a long time), who is elevated from playing Ram in the television series to play Dasharath in this film. He seems perfect for this role. Sunny Deol as Hanuman makes an appearance in the post credits scene.
The film is mounted on a scale that needs to be seen on the big screen. The film matches the bar set by international spectacles and kudos to all especially the producer Namit Malhotra to back such a film.
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