It’s a difficult effort to convey the nation’s most cherished good versus evil story to a modern audience without sounding antiquated. A fresh narrative may be the only thing that sets certain content apart when it is generationally aware. As his picture thrives on action-adventure over ethos, Om Raut adopts the Marvel strategy to appeal to the younger audience.
Characters are introduced quickly, as is Ram’s aura (Prabhas plays Raghav), as well as the circumstances surrounding his exile from Ayodhya (vanvas). It concentrates on Ravan’s (Saif Ali Khan) cunning kidnapping of Sita (Kriti Sanon as Janaki) and the epic Ram vs. Ravan fight fought for her release. Lakshman, Hanuman, Sugriv, and their vanar sena—Ram’s valiant army—are pitted against the terrifying, enormous Ravan and his immortality in the movie. The combat scenes recreate the iconic Avengers formation fending off a larger army of CGI rakshasas created by Ravan. The war’s compelling second half makes up for the first half’s lack of excitement or the sense of urgency the plot requires.
Raut tries to maintain a sense of equilibrium and coherence between the epic narrative and its superhero-verse application. The discourse doesn’t have the effect that epic heroes of this calibre should have. As they haphazardly switch between “Adharma ka vidhvansa” and “tere baap ki jalegi and tu marega,” the characters seem believable. In the first half, the narrator seems uninteresting. It lacks the emotional gravitas that one would anticipate from an epic story like the Ramayana. You are not sufficiently immersed in the characters.
This ambitious but resolute rendition of an epic has Saif Ali Khan’s formidable Ravan as the main character who radiates vitality. While Prabhas (voiced masterfully by Sharad Kelkar) retains a majestic presence as Ram, Saif steals the show with his sly demeanor and significant height gain. Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior was evidence of his prowess in portraying sinister and insane characters, and in this film, he sets the bar even higher. The songs by Ajay-Atul and the music and background score by Sanchit and Ankit Balhara give Saif’s enormous Ravan performance a fantastic boost. Saif Ali Khan owns Adipurush, and Raut is successful in erecting the figure on a grand scale.
The visual effects are decent, if not very striking. The 3D seems like an extraneous addition. With a 3-hour runtime, you wish the plot had focused more on the characteristics of its beloved characters or what made them unique, rather than how dependent on spectacular effects it was. Despite the dramatic buildup, the ending fails to leave you feeling triumphant or happy. This one makes an honest effort but is a little overpowered by its desire to handle a subject of this scope.
