Actor Sunil Lahri, who played Lakshman in Ramanand Sagar’s television adaptation of the Ramayana, has commented on the recently released teaser for Adipurush. The film is a CGI-heavy updation of the mythological epic. Its teaser has drawn severe criticism for poor visuals and inauthentic character designs.
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Unlike most others, including his Ramayan co-star Dipika Chikhlia, Sunil Lahri said that audiences must wait to watch the full film, or at least the trailer, before passing judgement. He also said that many cultures from around the world have their own representations of Hindu gods.
He told DNA, “After watching the teaser, at present, my views are neutral. It’s neither entirely positive, nor it’s totally negative. They have just introduced the characters and their personalities. So till now, they haven’t conveyed anything that really irked me. I think ki zabadasti ki controversy create ki ja rahi hai… to popularise the film.”
He did, however, admit that he found all the characters’ looks to be ‘ajeeb (strange)’. But he admitted that unlike historical figures, there’s no frame of reference to design these ‘idols’, who can be differentiated in images mostly through their ornaments and weapons, and not by their faces. “We all have an image set in our minds, and we have grown up watching a particular reference to Lord Ram all these years. So, they have tried to break the conventional image of Raavan. This is an individual take of a creative person, and as an artist, everyone has a right to present their interpretation of a story,” he said.
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After a surprisingly level-headed take on the controversy, which is only increasing with every passing day, Suni Lahri added, “Itna main zaroor kehna chahuga makers aur audiences ko, ki ‘nonsense will not be tolerated anymore in this country.’ Humari jo bhavnaye hai, humare jo dharam se related hai, jinki hum pooja karte hai, aaradhyan maante hai. Unke prati koi bhi negativity ki, toh ab desh bardasht nahi karega. Unhone phele bhi dikha diya, aage bhi yehi hoga. Yeh us zaamane ka Bharat nahi raha, ab united ho gaye hai log, and I think this unity is positive and beneficial for the country (I will say this, the audience isn’t going to tolerate nonsense in this country anymore, not against our faith, or the gods we pray to. The audience has already shown what it is capable of, and it will do so again. This is the new India, people are united now).”
Previously, Dipika Chikhlia had a stronger opinion on the teaser. She told AajTak, “I don’t associate Ramayan with VFX, that’s my personal take on this.”
In addition to the criticism that the film has attracted on creative grounds, several politicians have also called for boycotts citing an inaccurate and inauthentic portrayal of gods. Director 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.”
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Adipurush stars Prabhas as Lord Rama, Kriti Sanon as Sita, Saif Ali Khan as Raavan, and Sunny Singh as Lakshmana. The film will be released theatrically on January 12.
