Epic Disaster
Outlook|July 11, 2023
A 600 cr budget and sizeable political backing could not save Adipurush at the box office
Deepak Nagpal
Epic Disaster

JALEGI tere baap ki...- never in one's wildest thoughts or dreams can one imagine Lord Hanuman, a towering figure in the Hindu pantheon, speaking these words. But in a film that liberally uses so-called tapori ('street') language, anything is possible. Pre-release, Adipurush was touted to be an epic cinematic reproduction of the widely-revered Hindu epic, the Ramayana. However, post-release, the film has triggered waves of anger and disgust, not just among the right-wing Hindu audience, but also among liberal followers of the religion who worship the figures of Ram and Hanuman the stand-out characters of the epic-as infallible deities.

Adipurush is a movie which has gone wrong on multiple levels, be it in its intent or its very essence. Torn apart by critics and audiences alike for the shoddiness of the script and the film's 'B-grade' look, the movie, as one critic described it, is "part Planet of the Apes, part King Kong".

Directed by Om Raut with dialogues written by Manoj 'Muntashir' Shukla, the makers of the movie have floundered at every possible step post-release-from justifying the 'cringey' dialogue and then altering parts of it post outrage, to asserting that their film was "not at all based on the Ramayana but was just inspired by the epic," thereby backtracking on how they had initially advertised the film as a retelling of the epic.

Protests erupted on the streets of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and other states against the dialogues attributed to the character of Lord Hanuman, as well as Lord Ram's character's 'angry young man' persona, a depiction that is quite at odds with his widely accepted demeanour of being calm and collected. Even the portrayal of the demon king Ravana was a laughable deviation from how the antagonist is usually depicted. His 10 floating heads-a double-decker situation with 5 heads on top of 5 heads-was something no one in the audience would have ever imagined.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 11, 2023-Ausgabe von Outlook.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 11, 2023-Ausgabe von Outlook.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS OUTLOOKAlle anzeigen
My Secular Mentor
Outlook

My Secular Mentor

A rare psychologist of Indian culture, Sudhir Kakar leaves behind seminal works that will have relevance for many generations

time-read
4 Minuten  |
May 21, 2024
Battle of the Bahubalis
Outlook

Battle of the Bahubalis

Gangsters in Bihar no longer enjoy the kind of dominance that they did in the 90s, but that has not kept them away from politics

time-read
8 Minuten  |
May 21, 2024
Memories of Riots
Outlook

Memories of Riots

Have frequent communal tensions changed the social fabric of Bihar?

time-read
5 Minuten  |
May 21, 2024
Didi's Achilles Heel
Outlook

Didi's Achilles Heel

Mamata Banerjee stays the course but her party, plagued by corruption charges, spins out of control

time-read
7 Minuten  |
May 21, 2024
Memory Metamorphosis
Outlook

Memory Metamorphosis

What happened on March 14, 2007 in Nandigram? People still ask this question as they take part in the dance of democracy

time-read
7 Minuten  |
May 21, 2024
Minority Report
Outlook

Minority Report

He has not lost the Dhubri seat in Assam since 2009. Now he is fighting for political survival as Bengali Muslims look to favour the Congress

time-read
5 Minuten  |
May 21, 2024
THE POWER OF PURPOSE
Outlook

THE POWER OF PURPOSE

Doing good is good business as it transcends bottom lines and impacts lives positively, yielding profits that go beyond numbers.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
May 21, 2024
CURRENT FARMING METHODS ARE EXACERBATING CLIMATE CHANGE
Outlook

CURRENT FARMING METHODS ARE EXACERBATING CLIMATE CHANGE

Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) project is supporting transition of 850,000 farmers covering 377,801 hectares of land and operating in 3730 villages. \"Natural farming is in harmony with nature. It is a holistic land management practice that leverages the power of photosynthesis in plants\", says Mr. T Vijay Kumar, a retired IAS officer, who is the Executive Vice Chairman of Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, a non-profit organization set up by the Andhra Pradesh government in 2014. Since 2016, this platform has been utilized to integrate and promote APCNF activities, aimed at fostering the overall development and empowerment of farmers. Excerpts from an interview with Mr T Vijay Kumar:

time-read
3 Minuten  |
May 21, 2024
IN PURSUIT OF SUSTAINABILITY
Outlook

IN PURSUIT OF SUSTAINABILITY

Harshavardhana Gourineni, Executive Director, Amara Raja Energy & Mobility Ltd, in an interview shares how through its products and operations the company is helping reduce carbon footprints and meet SDGs. Excerpts:

time-read
2 Minuten  |
May 21, 2024
COOLING NO MORE A LUXURY, BUT A NECESSITY
Outlook

COOLING NO MORE A LUXURY, BUT A NECESSITY

With the rise in demand of air conditioners due to heat stress, sustainable air conditioning is the way forward to bring relief to people as well as manage emissions

time-read
7 Minuten  |
May 21, 2024