In Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana: Part 1, the scale is the story. After watching it for 195 minutes, I finally understand why it is titled Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana and not Valmiki’s Ramayana or Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana or just Ramayana.
\n\nIt’s because this saga is not about Rama or Sita or all that befalls them. It is about the many wonders that DNEG—Malhotra’s gargantuan VFX company—can whip up on screen. Everything in the film works in the service of this central goal with such unflinching devotion that all else, including the story it’s trying to tell, seem incidental.
\n\nRamayana: Part 1 is such a scared attempt at adapting a text so elemental to the Indian consciousness that it’s stifling. If you strip the film of Malhotra’s magic tricks, you will be left with little—possibly a bit of Ravi Dubey’s nimble, playful iteration of Laxmana and some of Yash’s glorious interpretation of Ravana.
\n\nConsidering the project’s global ambitions, a sizable section of the audience will most likely walk into the theatre knowing nothing about the story or its significance. I bet most of them would leave thinking of Ravana as the central figure—the powerful protagonist who also doubles up as a fascinating antagonist…
Original source: https://www.cnbctv18.com/entertainment/
