Adipurush Review – Masala-Fied Ramayan

BOTTOM LINE
Masala-Fied Ramayan

OUR RATING
2.75/5

CENSOR

U, 2h 59m

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What Is the Film About?

Adipurush is the cinematic retelling of the timeless tale of Ramayan. What happens when Janaki (Kriti Sanon) is abducted by Lankesh (Saif Ali Khan) during her vanavas with Raghava (Prabhas) is the movie’s basic plot.

Performances

Prabhas, as a star, has the aura to pull off Rama. There is an inherent innocence and calmness in his eyes. But, despite these positive aspects, Prabhas doesn’t really hit the mark with the once-in-a-lifetime part.

Prabhas is riddled with inconsistent characterisation. His looks are that of a warrior, but the character trait given is that of a calm and composed Lord Rama. The mixture doesn’t come across well on screen, making him look passive.

The visual effects, too, don’t help the cause. At times Prabhas seems stiff and sends a plastic vibe neck down. In a couple of emotional scenes, Prabhas is fine and is largely alright.

Kriti Sanon as Sita barely passes muster. First of all, she has less screen time and doesn’t have much content to dive into. Kriti Sanon doesn’t spoil anything but fails to leave an impression that would help her be remembered playing the legendary character.

And last but not least, Saif Ali Khan plays Lankesh, aka Ravan. He goes over the top with his portrayal as if playing a mass movie villain. It deviates so much from the material that the character seems almost unrecognisable. It feels as if he walked from the sets of the director’s (Om Raut) last film Tanhaji where he played the antagonist role. After a point, the antics get irritating, and his act becomes senseless if one thinks of Ravana from the classic Ramayana.

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Analysis

Two-film-old Om Raut directs Adipurush. His last, Tanhaji, was a VFX-heavy period story that well blended special effects and drama. In his latest outing, Om Raut has picked a much-loved epic tale of the victory of good over evil, Ramayan, with a much more significant visual effects involvement.

The two critical things associated with the Adipurush narrative are the visual reimagination and the change in the presentation of the age-old characters. These elements make it different from the previous iterations.

The first half of Adiprush is less on larger-than-life visual imagination and focuses on the key characters. The world and setting are created here, and the maker charted the usual, expected classical drama course.

The result is a watchable fare with an engaging drama. Although nothing outstanding acting-wise, the visuals and the sticking to the characters help sail through the narrative.

The problem in Adipurush starts when Om Raut tries to masala-fi the narrative with the modern-day mass movie sensibility. The visual effects, too, are designed to suit the over-the-top masala on offer. All these issues appear majorly in the second half.

The proceedings automatically turn inconsistent mainly due to the characterisations of the protagonist (Raghava) and antagonist (Lankesh). The former appears very passive, and the latter is in a different zone altogether, playing a regular villain to the galleries type of parts. It is irritating in parts.

The whole thing then leads to a never-ending, VFX-laden climax. Things go on and on and on and don’t seem to have an end in sight. Such is the impact that, finally, the audience feels relieved when it all ends. Amidst all these, the real emotions are lost. There is no emotional connection when Sita and Ram meet, and one is happy that things are getting over.

Overall, Adipurush is a big screen spectacle that is not just repackaging visually but also sensibility-wise. It is a mass, modern version of the classic Ramayan tale. If one doesn’t mind the distortion of the original characters and some tacky VFX, try it, but don’t keep the epic characterisation in mind.
 

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Performances by Others Actors

Lakshman and Hanuman are the two crucial parts of Adipurush. Sunny Singh essays the former, whereas Devdatta Nage takes on the mantle of the latter. Sunny appears lacklustre, which is why despite a good enough runtime, he fails to register. Devadatta Nage’s Hanuman act gets better as the narrative progresses. The rest of the cast plays bits and pieces roles and are alright.

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Music and Other Departments?

Ajay-Atul and Sachet-Parampara (Ram Sita Ram) composer duos have provided Adipurush’s music. The Jai Shri Ram track is a blockbuster of anthemic proportions, elevating movie prospects. Although not on the same level, it works well within the narrative. The background score, too, is consistently good and, as is the trend now, very loud. It is effective, and that’s the job done at the end of the day.

Karthik Palani’s cinematography is satisfactory. The visual effects do a lot of the heavy lifting, but one can see some good work in setting them up underneath. The editing should have been better, considering the length and the exhaustive feeling at the end. The film’s biggest USP, its VFX, is a mixed bag. A lot is tacky and cartoonish, but some parts simultaneously look incredible on screen. The writing is overdone, and the dubbing gives Adipurush (Telugu) a dubbed movie feel.

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Highlights?

Big-Screen Appeal

BGM

First Half

Drawbacks?

Length

Senseless Ravan Characterisation

Tiring Narrative

Tacky Effects

Second Half

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Did I Enjoy It?

Yes, in Parts, especially for the scale

Will You Recommend It?

Yes, As a one-time watch for Ramayan

Adipurush Movie Review by M9News