Actress Dipika Chikhlia, who essayed the role of Maa Sita in Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Ramayan’ has taken a dig at the recently released teaser for the Adipurush movie. Dipika said that Ravan should look like someone from Sri Lanka, not like Mughals
On October 2, the teaser of the much-awaited movie Adipurush starring Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, and Saif Ali Khan was released at an event in Ayodhya. The film is a retelling of the Ramayana. The teaser sparked a lot of discussions and even trends like ‘Disappointing Adipurush’. Apart from the poor VFX, Saif Ali Khan who plays the character of Ravan in the film drew flak over his Mughal-like look. Amidst the debate, actress Dipika Chikhlia, who portrayed the role of Maa Sita in the Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan which aired between 1987 and 1988 on Doordarshan, also commented on it.
In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Dipika Chikhlia said, “I have seen the teaser of Adipurush. Ramayan is a true story with which the emotions and beliefs of millions of people are associated. Since Ramayan is an important part of people’s faith, it is important to be careful about how its characters, simplicity, and emotions are depicted. I know times have changed and that VFX has become an essential part of movie-making but VFX is good only till it does not hurt people’s sentiments. However, it is only a teaser and may not do justice to the film.”
When asked about Saif Ali Khan’s character being compared with Islamic invaders like Aurangzeb and Allauddin Khilji, the actress said, “I think the character should appeal to the audience and should look authentic. If Ravan is from Sri Lanka he should not look like a Mughal.”
On the backlash over Kriti Sanon’s appearance as Maa Sita, Dipika Chikhlia said, “The backlash is obvious, Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan has set a benchmark. The audiences want the onscreen Ramayan character to be similar to the ones in the popular serial.”
When asked that with Lord Hanuman allegedly shown wearing a leather outfit, if too much liberty has been taken, Chikhlia asserted, “Yes, I think people do take the liberty, even the Hindus. Nude pictures of Hindu deities are made. This needs to stop. Our gods are our heritage and should not be subjected to ridicule. Just as the country is governed by a constitution, Ramayan is the constitution of Bhakti, it should not be defamed.”
Notably, netizens have pointed out that the 1 minute 46 seconds teaser of Adipurush is nothing more than a blend of unpleasant scenes, hard-to-connect characters, and copies of scenes from Hollywood shows and movies.
Strangely, Ravan appears to have a legion of skeletal, rotten demons that resemble a cross between the Game of Thrones wights and the Game of Potter dementors.
Amidst the criticism and trolling, film Adipurush’s director Om Raut has come out to defend the film. “I was disheartened but not surprised because the film is made for a larger medium. You can cut it down to some extent, but can’t bring it down to a mobile phone, that’s an environment I can’t control. If given the option, I would never have released it on YouTube, but it is necessary at this time. It must be put there in order to reach a wider audience,” Raut told PTI.
