Ramanand Sagar’s son reacts to Adipurush controversy, says he would’ve turned down project because of his ‘upbringing and culture’

In an interview with The Times of India, Prem Sagar defended Adipurush director Om Raut’s right to interpret the material in his own way. “How can you stop anyone from creating anything?” he asked, adding that ‘dharma changes with time’ and that ‘Om Raut did what he felt was okay’. Refusing to take sides, he noted that the filmmaker hasn’t called the movie ‘Ramayan’. He also said that were he offered to make a project like this, he wouldn’t do it because of his ‘upbringing and culture’.

Adipurush has attracted backlash from certain sections of society, who’ve claimed that the film — based on the teaser — doesn’t accurately represent the Ramayana. Politicians have complained about the design of certain gods, while the chief priest of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has demanded a ban on the film,

Actors Dipika Chikhlia and Sunil Lahri, both of whom starred in the Ramayan series, have also commented on the controversy. While Dipika Chikhlia said that she doesn’t associate the Ramayan with a big-budget CGI spectacle, Sunil Lahri said that audiences should wait to watch the film before passing judgement. He also said that if the film offends the sensibilities of Hindus, they will not tolerate it.

Reacting to the negativity, Om Raut told indianexpress.com that he was ‘disheartened’ by the response to the teaser, ‘but not surprised’. He added, “The film is made for a larger medium—the big screen. You can cut it down to some extent but can’t bring it down to a mobile phone.”Adipurush stars Prabhas as Lord Ram, Kriti Sanon as Sita, Saif Ali Khan as Raavan and Sunny Singh as Lakshman. The film will be released in theatres on January 12.