Adipurush starring Prabhas in the lead role as Lord Rama directed by Bollywood filmmaker Om Raut is carrying high expectations among the audience. Co-starring Kriti Sanon, Sunny Singh and Saif Ali Khan in key roles the film is made based on epic Ramayana and has hit the screens today. Let’s see how it fares.
Story: Adipurush showcases the Yuddha Kanda in Ramayana. The movie begins with Lord Rama, aka Raghava (Prabhas), getting banished from his kingdom Ayodhya for 14 years at the decree of his father, Dasaratha. It is Bharata’s mother and Dasaradha’s younger wife, Kaikeyi, who demands that Lord Rama be sent to the forest so that her son be crowned. Sita, aka Janaki (Kriti Sanon), and Seshu alias Lakshmana (Sunny Singh), accompany Lord Rama in exile. One day, the demon king Ravana (Saif Ali Khan) abducts Sita by diverting Rama and Seshu with a magical deer. Later, Rama meets Hanuman (Devdatte Naga), and later how Lord Rama wins over Ravana and brought back Sita, forms crucial crux.
Performances: Prabhas plays the part of Ram well though it feels like he doesn’t have much screen time due to the other characters. Very few actors in the current generation can pull off mythological or periodic roles with ease and conviction, and Prabhas is one among them.
The actor has an unmatched aura and royalty, and Adipurush couldn’t have been any better if some other actor had played Lord Sri Rama. The pan-India star stuns with his charisma, body language, and dialogue delivery, and he fits the bill perfectly as Lord Rama.
Saif as Ravan is alright but the characterization is a bit odd and very dark and goes overboard at times.The star actor makes the film even fiery with his incredible performance as Lankesh.
Kriti’s role as Sita’s role is limited but well done.Kriti’s divine looks and her mature performance adds depth to the proceedings.
Devdatte Nage, the Marathi actor, breathed life into the role of Lord Hanuman.Sunny Singh, Vatsal Sheth, and Sonal Chauhan perfectly fitted in their given key roles.
Technicalities: Ajay-Atul duo’s songs are superb, to say the least, and the background score has lifted the movie in many areas.
The music deserves a special mention as it carries the film in many places. However, the VFX particularly in action scenes is very poor and cartoonish and makes those scenes ineffective. The VFX comes a defect for the film, sadly. The teaser received severe flak from one and all, and hence the team reworked on the VFX works for a long time.
Despite spending a whopping budget, the end result is unsatisfactory in this aspect. The visual effects are substandard.
The drama part is mostly engaging driven by excellent music. However, the VFX is poor particularly in action scenes where it feels as if a human is fighting a cartoon.
Telugu dialogues written by Bheem Sreenivas are good. The Telugu lyrics penned by Ramajogayya Sastry gelled well with the music composed by the Ajay-Atul duo. Shivoham and Jai Shree Ram songs stand out and are sure to evoke goosebumps. The background score by Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara is magnificent. The costumes designed by Nachiket Barve give the movie a modern touch. The production design created by Priya Suhass and Nishanth Jogdand may receive mixed reactions as the Lanka world has been showcased in a different manner. The 3D effects are good in a few scenes.
The makers have gone all out and spent heavily on the movie, but VFX-wise, the movie disappoints. Karthik Palani’s cinematography is neat. The movie needs some serious editing, especially as far as the second half is concerned.The choreography of action set pieces is ordinary, and they don’t create any excitement.
Analysis: Om Raut’s strength lies in showcasing the drama, and he handled the first half in a very neat manner. The sequences in the first hour of the film including the Jatayu – Ravana fight, Hanuman meeting Rama for the first time, the face-off between Sugriva and Vaali, and Hanuman setting Lanka on fire are presented neatly. Though the scenes are familiar with the audience, Om Raut has executed the proceedings in an interesting manner. A better second half could have made Adipurush a great outing.
Adipurush is a modernized version of Ramayana that majorly benefits from the performances of Prabhas, Saif Ali Khan, and Devdatte Nage.The first half focused on the drama which worked, but the second half focused on retelling of the Ramayanam that had a promising first half but falls flat in the second half and ends up being tiresome with some dragged portions.
To summerize, Adipurush is a retelling of the Ramayana that has a promising first half but falls flat in the second half and ends up being tiresome towards the end!
Verdict: Epic Ramayana told with a modern touch!
Rating: 2.5/5
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