With great expectations comes great responsibility. Om Raut’s Adipurush has been one of the most anticipated films, as the director offers a retelling of the Ramayana. All eyes were on Prabhas and Raut as they unveiled the teaser earlier this month. However, it received mixed to negative reactions, with netizens trolling its visual effects. Social media users also claimed that the movie borrowed heavily from international offerings — be it Aquaman (2018), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) or Game of Thrones.  

Raut had earlier stated that the idea of retelling the epic struck him while watching Japanese director Yugo Sako’s anime film, The Prince of Light. Manoj Muntashir, who has served as the lyricist and dialogue writer, says that Adipurush is designed in keeping with current technology. He begins, “In every age, you have to retell the story with whatever creative tools are at your disposal. In 1987, when Ramanand Sagar ji made Ramayan, he made a series ahead of its time, with VFX that depicted 10 arrows being shot from one bow. When we made Adipurush, we too tried to experiment with the available VFX. In the 90-second teaser, we have conveyed that Ravana has abducted Maa Sita, and Lord Ram, with the help of Hanumanji and others, attacks Lanka, wins the battle and brings her back. Is this narrative wrong?”