Dear Astikas,
Wishing you all a Happy Deepavali!
May our Acharyas bless us all for a blissful year ahead!
My review of the recently released Ramayana movie (P1) has received comments from different quarters. I thought of answering
some of the questions raised:
(1) Compared to traditional lectures, classical musical and dance presentations, and even books, Cinema is one of the most powerful means to take our dharmic content to audiences worldwide. When technology is leveraged to its fullest potential, filmmakers can create magic. And its impact will be felt across different age-groups, leaving a lasting imprint for decades together. I have NO DOUBT that our Ramayana and Mahabharata, which we consider our scriptures (sastra pramāna) and as our history, are worthy of being made into TV serials, OTT series and large-scale movies.
(2) Anyone who adapts these revered and beloved works into visual content will face criticism. However true the filmmakers are to the source material, there will be criticism. From dialogues to cinematography, editing to costumes, and casting to acting, they are bound to face criticism. I am pretty sure; the producers and directors will be ready to brace for it as well.
(3) However, when there is an underlying current to build a certain narrative and silently confuse the current and forthcoming generations, the effort acquires a vicious angle. While I am not casting aspersions on any one person, I honestly feel the investor (producers) could have investigated into the following aspects:
. The rift between the devas and the asuras in our puranas should never be seen from the caste angle. (Hiranyakashipu was an asura. while Indra was a deva. Both were enemies but they were offspring of Kashyapa, thereby making it a brāmhana vs. brāmhana fight). In the Ramayana, the fight was between the devas and the rakshasas, where the devas were descendants of Kashyapa while the rakshasas were descendants of Heti. Ravana was a descendant of Pulastya, on his father’s side and a descendant of Heti on his mother’s side. Some say, he was a kshatriya, if he were to go by his mother’s varna while others vouch that he was a bramhana, going by his father’s varna. So, he was either a bramhana-raksasa or a kshatriya-rakshasa (depending on which varna he inherited). How is the oppression angle permissible here? Depicting the rakshasas as asuras was MISTAKE 1 and showing them as the oppressed was MISTAKE 2.
. Ramayana is about Rama’s life and the path he took (literally from Ayodhya to Lanka and back as well as the path of dharma he trod). Ravana is just another character in his life. Though Ravana is just another character in his life. Though Ravana is essential to explaining Rama’s life, no movie should focus entirely on him.
There is no doubt about his strength and study of the sastras. There is ample evidence of him turning into a devotee of Siva later in his life. But he lusting for women, forcing himself on them, and being a serial molester is an incontrovertible truth. If you are one of Ravana’s fanboys who has fallen victim to the political and agenda-based narrative pushed into mainstream media by
malicious jackals, I say it again: Ravana was a molester and a rapist. Swallow this bitter pill and cope with it. No amount of whitewashing his character will serve your purpose.
. To translate every incident of the Ramayana into a movie scene is a herculean task. No sensible movie watcher expects this either. But when a movie pushes an agenda, such as depicting the devas suppressing the (rights of the) rakshasas, and whitewashing Ravana’s lustful nature, couldn’t they have shown the meeting of Rama and Guha? This single incident of Rama’s friendship with Guha could positively impact our society and build the most needed harmony across different castes.
(4) I have been speaking about our scriptures, especially the Ramayana for over twenty years now. I have written two books for a renowned publisher on the Ramayana. I have directed an exclusive dance production on the Ramayana. I have ferried many yatris to Ramayana-related temples in India and Sri Lanka in the last fifteen years. Through speeches, books, dance productions and heritage tours, I have been doing my little mite to reach the masses. A few lakhs of them would have benefited from this outreach. But cinema is different. In one release, it reaches crores of people. In case, wrong information goes to the current and forthcoming generations about our revered works, it is a Himalayan task to make them unlearn of such things.
My appeal is:
Filmmakers in India & Abroad: Our dharma has such rich content that is cinema-friendly. Please approach them with love and reverence. Trust me, you will be commercially a big success. But above that, you will touch the hearts of countless Astikas world over.
Again, wishing you all a great Deepavali!
Regards,
Dushyanth Sridhar
