Adipurush: A movie that is being remained in the news for different reasons. It is a much-hyped lavish Indian movie, that has suffered a huge box office crash followed by a backlash both from the audience and the critics. The movie has all the elements converting it into a blockbuster – A lead actor who has a massive fan following and has a lot of hits and super-busters in the past, a story based on the Hindu epic, a massive budget, and much more. But what results in huge failures? The movie claimed to have connections with the Hindu religious beliefs or nations, but the formula backfired on it.
As per the makers, the movie is based on the Epic Ramayana that depicts the victory of the Hindu God Ram over the demon king Ravana who kidnaps his wife, Sita.
If you are also thinking about what went wrong with the movie, you will get to know about the different reasons.
A controversial portrayal of mythology
Being based on the Hindu epic Ramayana, “Adipurush” is a movie that has been revered in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Any portal of the religious texts or the figures can become a sensitive issue if not portrayed perfectly or properly. The movie’s depiction is quite disrespectful, inaccurate, and deviating from the traditional interpretations, and that further has led the same to a huge rejection by the audience.
Tapori Language and Dialogues
The very first reactions of the audience after watching the movie were both enraged and amused. Being written by the National Film Awards-winning lyricist Manoj Muntashir, the language and the dialogues used in the movie are quite disappointing and worst. Ramayana is a wonderful Hindi epic that not only tells people about the victory of good over evil but it also teaches people about the value of unity and relationships, limits, embracing all, and much more.
The dialogues used in the movie are quite cringeworthy and disappointing. Dialogues like, ‘teri bua ka bagicha hai kya’ and ‘uski lanka laga denge’, and ‘kapda bhi ter baap ka, tel bhi tere baap ka, aag bhi teri baap ki aur jalegi bhi teri baap ki’ have forced the audience towards backlashing the movie.
After receiving a huge backlash from the audience all around the world, Manoj and the makers of the Adipurush revised the language in the contentious dialogues to respect the public sentiments. But the loss made can’t be reverted now.
Cultural sensitivities
Each country has its own cultural heritage, context, and values. The movie is perceived as culturally inappropriate and offensive and that also has served to be the major reason behind its rejection. The movie makers must consider the local customs, beliefs, and sensitives while adapting such stories for the screen, if not it can cause a lot of disaster all around. The elements and costumes used in the movie are quite annoying and affect the sentiments of the people of India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
VFX
The movie also has faced a huge backlash due to its poor VFX and poor selection of elements. Rather than playing the characters, most of the movie includes a lot of cartoonish VFX that takes it far away from reality.
Casting choices
The selection of the actors for playing the key roles is also quite controversial. Lord Rama was just 16 years old during his swaymvar. He had that glory and features that attracts the attention of everyone out there. The casting of the Telugu superstar Prabhas as Raghav in Adipurush fails to justify the character and that further results in the rejection of the movie all across the globe.
Ramayana is a different ballgame that is quite different from what is depicted in the movie.
A lot of loyalists claimed Prabhas didn’t command that mix of reverence and simplicity as it was done by Arun Govil in the Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan. A lot of people even objected to the mustache on Rama and claimed that Rama was the avatar of Vishnu and none of the avatars of Vishnu had mustaches. As for the majority of the audience, the movie fails to represent cultural and ethnic identity perfectly.
Higher expectations
The expectations of the audience before the release of the Adipursh were quite higher. The movie fails to hold that expectation quite badly. Whether it’s about Saif Ali Khan’s controversial comments about the Ravana or the dialogues included, different things work collectively in the reverse direction and play on the feelings and expectations of the public sentiments. The makers of the movie even asked the theatre owners for reserving a seat for Lord Hanuman so that people assumed they gave Aastha and will not let them down, but this was not even quite enough to save the movie from such a huge disaster.
After facing a lot of criticism throughout the makers have changed their dialogues and also have reduced the ticket prices to ₹150 but this still fails to do so.
Historical tensions or sensitivities
India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka have complex historical relationships. The movie is based on the epic Ramayana and touches on different historical events or sensitivities that are contentious or unresolved. The movie has abruptly stoked tensions or reopened the old wounds and that is the main reason why it has faced a lot of rejection throughout.
Conclusion
Different factors influence the reception of any movie and the responsibilities and the expectations go just higher up when the movies are based on real factors. Adipurush is based on the epic Ramayana and had faced a lot of backlash and criticism not only in India but in Nepal and Sri Lanka as well. The movie not only has failed to hold on to the public sentiments but also includes different elements, dialogues and language throughout that have turned it into a huge failure. The movie is strongly rejected in all three countries and people throughout are demanding it be taken down from the theatres. After facing a lot of backlash, the makers changed the dialogue of the movie but the loss it has made still can’t be recovered.
