Since the release of 'Adipurush' on June 16, 2023, the movie has stirred up a firestorm of criticism, accusing its filmmakers of ignorance of the Ramayana. The incident has hurt many Hindu religious sentiments.

Amidst these controversies, it is possible that the film may succeed and recover its 600 crore budget. After all, it is an adaptation of Ramayana which is close to people’s hearts. But it won’t be groundbreaking like RRR or earn respect like that considering how the film is regarded as a mockery. In addition to movie reviewers and audiences raising objections, some high-profile individuals have also raised concerns. Accusing the portrayal of Lord Ram as inaccurate, Satyendra Das, one of the most influential figures and Head Priest at the Ayodhya Ram Temple, demanded a ban on the film. Hindu Sena has filed a petition against the film for hurting the sentiments of the Hindu religion.

Some like Mukesh Khanna of 'Shaktimaan’ fame commented, “I think this is a terrible joke with Ramayana. Have the makers even read it” Adipurush has become the talk of the town since its release, defying all Hindu sentiments. One of the biggest upsets was the film’s dialogues. Hanuman is seen saying, "Kapda tere baap ka, tal tere baap ka, aag tere baap ki, jalegi tere baap ki” Hanuman ji was a Vedic scholar and he would have never used this kind of language. In this day and age, Hanuman is endorsed to be angry whereas he was very calm and composed. Munatshir Shukla, the dialogue writer for the film defended himself saying that his grandmother recited to him Hanuman's character in this manner and that he penned down the dialogue with utmost devotion and dedication, even was barefoot while writing it.

The film has tried to please the audience with adaptive instances like “Lord Ram invoking saffron flag as he marches to Lanka” in order to enhance the storyline. However, the actual outcome came out contradicting with netizens finding it to be ignorant and improvised just for cinematic liberty. Also, the character visualization of Lord Ram, Lord Krishna, and Lord Hanuman with a beard and unreal expression is also being questioned. How is it supposed to impersonate the Hindu Gods?

The storyline depicts a very high degree of deviation from the original. The ignorance towards Raavan’s blessing, how he died, and why his navel was his weak spot. A trilogy has been condensed into a 3-hour movie. The makers stated the movie as a Ramayana of their version just like the versions from Tulsi Das and Valmiki. For some, this was hugely outraging and disappointing. How can a filmmaker have the eligibility to hold a status for themselves allowing them to pull an offspring out of an ancient epic? One can think of experimenting with Ramayana only if they are well acquainted with it.

Lord Ram seems to be mimicking action. In which they failed yet again. The better enactment was done by Ram Charan's character in RRR with bows and arrows. The filmmaker didn’t do justice to Lord Ram.  Creative Liberty was overused on Raavan with his head being placed 5 each on top, hence completely changing the configuration of the 10-headed Raavan. Golden Lanka is a dark underground foggy disfigured cavern, pushpak flight is a bat, and Hindu Brahmin Ravana is a blacksmith, feeding his pets and playing the sitar. All this for the youths. What message are the makers attempting to convey when the very message it seeks to express is inherently flawed? If one tries to convert epic into action, it is bound to be disliked.

With all these events unfolding, the public can’t help but long for the charm of the 1987 Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana which became the most-watched tv series during its run. It had a sense of devotion, simplicity, and soul. Ramanand Sagar had the wisdom of filmmaking. His casting and story execution was well structured and contained authentic graphic representation. 

Ramayana depicts a battle between the righteous and the arrogant wrong but the movie “Adipurush” seems to be embracing spontaneity and displaying extravagance. In trying to be magnanimous, the makers have hurt some Hindu sentiments and most importantly took the audience for granted and the Ramayana so lightly. The public did not get a decent interpretation of Ramayana after a 600 crore budget and star cast.