Ramayana: The Epic

Last updated

Ramayana: The Epic
Ramayana, The Epic.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byChetan Desai [1] [2]
Screenplay byChetan Desai [3]
Story byRituraj Ramendra Tripathi
Produced by Ketan Mehta [4]
Deepa Sahi [3]
Niraj Bhukanwala [3]
Starring Manoj Bajpayee [1]
Juhi Chawla [1]
Ashutosh Rana [1]
Mukesh Rishi [5]
CinematographyChetan Desai [3]
Edited bySayed Sher Abbas [3]
Music byShaarang Dev Pandit [3]
Production
company
Maya Digital Media [1]
Distributed by Warner Bros. India [1]
Release date
  • 15 October 2010 (2010-10-15)
Running time
98 minutes [6]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹7 crore [7]
Box office₹0.98 crore [7]

Ramayana: The Epic is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language computer-animated mythological action film from Maya Digital Media. [1] [2] Directed by Chetan Desai [1] [2] and produced by Ketan Mehta, [4] it was released by Warner Bros. India on 15 October 2010. [1]

Contents

Plot

The plot begins with Dashratha and his three wives ruling the kingdom Kosala, with the capital Ayodhya. The king and queens perform a special ritual to pray for children. Soon, Dasratha has four sons: Rama from Kaushalya, Bharata from Kaikeyi, and Lakshman and Shatrughna from Sumitra. Rama becomes known as a virtuous warrior and Vishamitra asks Dashratha to send Rama to help him defeat the demoness Tadka. After this incident, Vishwamitra takes Rama and Lakshmana to King Janak's swayamvara for his daughter Sita. Rama wins the contest by lifting and breaking Shiva's bow, where he and Sita get married. The three brothers also marry Sita's other sister. Dashratha decides to make Rama as his successor. Kaikeyi agrees that as the eldest son, Rama deserves the throne.

However, Manthara tells Kaikeyi that if Rama is crowned king, the other queens will become more powerful and that they will harass Kaikeyi and Bharat. Manthara reminds Kaikeyi that she has two boons to ask of Dashratha, where she asks Dashratha to crown Bharata as king and send Ram into exile for fourteen years. Dashratha is pained to see him leaving, but Rama is determined not to disobey his father's orders. Lakshmana and Sita decide to join Rama in exile. Dashratha dies longing for Rama and Bharata refuses to be a part of his mother's conspiracy. Bharata follows Rama and asks him to come back, but Rama refuses, so Bharata takes his sandals back as a symbol of Rama's rule over Ayodhya. In exile, Agastya gifts the brothers divine weapons that make them invincible.

In the thirteen of exile, Ravana's sister Shurpanakha meets Rama in the forest and is attracted to him. When he politely declines her offer to come with her, she threatens to kill Sita. To protect them, Lakshman cuts off her nose. When Ravana hears of his sister's humiliation, he plans vengeance by harming Sita. In the forest, Sita sees a beautiful deer and asks Rama to capture it for her. Rama goes to find the deer and instructs Lakshman to protect Sita while he's gone. When Rama strikes the deer, he finds that it is actually a demon named Marich in disguise, and he calls out for Sita and Lakshman in Rama's voice. Sita urges Lakshmana to make sure Rama is fine, where Lakshman draws a divine line of security around her to protect her while she is alone, telling her that she should not cross the line under any circumstances.

Ravana approaches Sita in disguise as an old sage seeking alms. He tricks her into exiting Lakshmana's circle of protection. Once she steps outside the boundary, he kidnaps her and takes her into the sky to Lanka. Jatayu tries to save Sita, but Ravana nearly kills him. To leave a trace of her path, Sita drops her jewelry from the sky, hoping someone will find it and trace their way back to her. Rama and Lakshmana come back to the hermitage and grieve over the missing Sita. Looking for her in the forest, the encounter the nearly dead Jatayu, who tells them she has been abducted. In their quest to find Sita, the brothers meet Shabri, who serves them devotedly. Ram and Lakshman reach Kishkindha, the kingdom of monkeys, where they meet Hanuman.

Hanuman tells them that King Sugreev can help them if they help him win over his evil brother, Bali. Rama helps King Sugreeva regain his kingdom, where he enlists his entire monkey army to help him find Sita. Rama gives Hanuman his ring to show to Sita if he finds her, so she can trust him. He tells Hanuman and Angada's team to look for her in the southern part of India. Hanuman meets Jatayu's younger brother, who describes that he saw Ravana abducting a young woman and heading towards the island of Lanka. The monkeys are unsure how to cross the ocean, and Hanuman uses his powers to become extremely large and cross the ocean despite encountering obstacles along the way. When he arrives at Lanka, he makes himself tiny so he can sneak in.

Once he finds the palace, Hanuman enters the garden and sees Sita from atop a tree. He overhears Ravana threatening Sita that she must accept him in two months. Hanuman shows Sita Ram's ring and asks her to come back with him. Sita refuses and says that to protect her honor, Rama must come save her and defeat Ravana himself. Hanuman wreaks havoc in Lanka. Ravana captures him and Hanuman warns him of war if he does not release Sita. To punish him, Ravana orders that Hanuman's tail be set afire. With the fire on his tail, Hanuman burns down the city. Ravana's brother Vibhishan tries to reason with him, so Ravana expels him from the kingdom. The war begins and the monkey army destroys much of Ravana's army. Ravana's wife asks him to reconsider and let Sita go, but he is further determined to win this war.

Ravana sends his giant brother Kumbhakaran to the battlefield. Lakshmana is badly wounded and Hanuman brings the entire mountain that contains the divine herb Sanjeevani to revive him. Ravana sends his son who uses illusory powers to show Rama Sita's severed head. Ravana also shows Sita an illusion of Rama's severed head. The monkey army interrupts Meghnad's ritual before he is granted invincibility. Finally, Ravana himself enters the battlefield. After a battle, Rama kills Ravana by shooting an arrow into his navel, his weak spot. Ram and Sita are united and the trio return to Ayodhya after 14 years. They are welcomed by all of the mothers and Rama is throned the king.

Cast

NameCharacterSource
Manoj Bajpayee Prince Rama [6]
Juhi Chawla Princess Sita [6]
Ashutosh Rana King Ravana [6]
Mukesh Rishi Hanuman [5]
Rishabh Shukla Prince Lakshman [6]
Dilip Sinha King Dasharath
Neerja Mathur Trijata
Niti Mathur Kaykai, Sursa, Tadaka
Shailendra Pandey Sugreev
Abha Parmar Manthara
Saurav ChakrabortyShuk, Munadiwala
Dishi Duggal Sumitra
Nayani DixitShurphanakha, Urmila
Anand Singh Vibhishan
Sanjeev Tiwari Angada
Yogendra Patwal Jambavan
Ram Pravesh Kumar Jatayu
Pawan Shukla Sampati
Sachal Tyagi Meghnad
Krishna Gopal Prahast
Revi YadavVali, Kumbhakarna
Arun Thorat Vishvamitra
Meghna Dixit Mandodari

Himanshu kushwaha

Production

"The Ramayana holds appeal even today, thousands of years after it is said to have been written. It is impossible to translate the grandeur and the setting of this epic in live action. Hence, animation is the only way to retell it in all its glory."

Ketan Mehta, producer [8]

Ramayana is the directorial debut of Chetan Desai, [2] the chairman and managing director of Maya Digital Media. [1] More than 400 crewmembers worked on the film over a five-year period; [6] the first three years were spent designing the characters, while the other two were devoted to actual production. [5]

Release

In September 2010, Warner Bros. India acquired the rights to Ramayana: The Epic. [1] [2] [9] This has made it India's second animated feature to be released by the local arm of a Hollywood studio, following Disney and Yash Raj's Roadside Romeo from 2008. [1]

The film was released on 15 October 2010, during the festivity of Dussehra. [2] 250 prints [10] were screened in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions; [1] [9] English, Gujarati and Bengali versions have also been prepared. [8] A North American release is scheduled for early 2011. [10] Four days after its debut, Joginder Mahajan of Delhi expressed concern over the low box-office take. [11]

Reception

Reporting for the Twitch Film site, Josh Hurtado said, "While the animation of this project may look crude to [Western] eyes based upon the trailer, it is still miles beyond anything we've seen India create in this department so far." [9] Upon release, Indian Express gave it three stars out of five and commented that the animation was above par for the Indian animation industry, but singled out the Sanskrit dialogue. [12] The Times of India also praised the animation, adding that "the special effects ... sizzle and crackle". [13] Anupama Chopra of NDTV Movies gave it a mixed review, calling it a "faithful but dreary retelling". She came to the conclusion that "Ramayana is an ambitious step toward better homegrown cinema for children. I just wish it had more crackle." [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Ramayana</i> Ancient Sanskrit epic

The Ramayana is a smriti text from ancient India, one of the two important epics of Hinduism known as the Itihasas, the other being the Mahabharata. The epic, traditionally ascribed to the Maharishi Valmiki, narrates the life of Rama, a prince of Ayodhya in the kingdom of Kosala. The epic follows his fourteen-year exile to the forest urged by his father King Dasharatha, on the request of Rama's stepmother Kaikeyi; his travels across forests in the Indian subcontinent with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana; the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana, the king of Lanka, that resulted in war; and Rama's eventual return to Ayodhya along with Sita to be crowned king amidst jubilation and celebration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakshmana</span> Younger brother and close companion of the Hindu god Rama

Lakshmana, also spelled as Laxmana, is the younger brother of Rama and his loyalist in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He bears the epithets of Saumitra and Ramanuja. He is the twin of Shatrughna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shatrughna</span> Brother of Rama

Shatrughna is a prince of Ayodhya, King of Madhupura and Vidisha, and a brother of Prince Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He is also known as Ripudaman. He is the twin of Lakshmana. He is a loyalist of Bharata, just like Lakshmana is to Rama. According to the Valmiki Ramayana, Shatrughna is an incarnation of the Sudarshana Chakra. Shatrughna also appears as the 412th name of Vishnu in the Vishnu Sahasranama of the Mahabharata.

<i>Ramcharitmanas</i> Awadhi poem about Rama by Tulsidas

Ramcharitmanas, is an epic poem in the Awadhi language, based on the Ramayana, and composed by the 16th-century Indian bhakti poet Tulsidas. This work is also called, in popular parlance, Tulsi Ramayana, Tulsikrit Ramayana, Tulsidas Ramayana or simply Manas. The word Ramcharitmanas literally means "Lake of the deeds of Rama". It is considered one of the greatest works of Hindu literature. The work has variously been acclaimed as "the living sum of Indian culture", "the tallest tree in the magic garden of medieval Indian poetry", "the greatest book of all devotional literature" and "the best and most trustworthy guide to the popular living faith of the Indian people".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sita</span> Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the epic Ramayana

Sita, also known as Siya, Janaki, Maithili, Vaidehi and Bhumija, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, Ramayana. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She is also the chief goddess of Rama-centric Hindu traditions. Sita is known for her dedication, self-sacrifice, courage, and purity.

Bharata (<i>Ramayana</i>) Ramas brother

Bharata is a figure in the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana. He is the son of Dasharatha, the king of Kosala, and Kaikeyi, the daughter of King Ashvapati of Kekeya. He is a younger half-brother of Rama. He rules Ayodhya as its regent while Rama is banished from his kingdom, and fights to rescue his wife Sita, kidnapped by Ravana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urmila</span> Ramayana character

Urmila is a princess featured in the Ramayana. She is the daughter of King Janaka of Mithila and Queen Sunayana. Sita, the female protagonist of the epic, is her elder adoptive sister. She becomes the wife of Lakshmana, the younger brother of Rama. She is considered to be an incarnation of Nagalakshmi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandavi</span> Ramayana character

Mandavi is a princess and the elder daughter of King Kushadhvaja and Queen Chandrabhaga in the Hindu epic Ramayana. She is married to Bharata, a younger brother of Rama. Mandavi is considered to be an incarnation of the conch shell of Lakshmi.

<i>Ramayan</i> (1987 TV series) Indian epic television series

Ramayan is an Indian Hindi-language epic television series based on ancient Indian Sanskrit Epic Ramayana. The show was created, written, and directed by Ramanand Sagar. It originally aired between 1987 and 1988 on DD National and it was narrated by Ashok Kumar and the director Ramanand Sagar. The music was composed by Ravindra Jain. During its run, the show became most watched television series in the world, and it is the most watched mythological serial in the world, it had a viewership of 82 percent. The repeat telecast was aired on 20 different channels in 17 countries on all the five continents at different times. The success of the series was documented well by the media. According to BBC, the serial has been viewed by over 650 million viewers. Each episode of the series reportedly earned DD National ₹40 lakh.

<i>Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama</i> 1992 film by Yugo Sako

Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama is a 1992 anime film co-produced by Japan and India; produced and directed by Yugo Sako. It is based on the Indian epic Ramayana. The film was directed by Koichi Sasaki and Ram Mohan, with music composed by Vanraj Bhatia. Although it was banned in India during the Babri Masjid riots, it was later dubbed in Hindi and aired on DD National.

Mahaviracharita is a play by the 8th-century Sanskrit playwright Bhavabhuti based on the early life of Rama, the hero of the Ramayana and venerated as a Hindu deity. It is the first play of Bhavabhuti, thus lacking in character and style compared to his two known later works: Malatimadhava and Uttararamacharita. Though currently composed of seven acts, the whole present text may not have been composed by Bhavabhuti.

<i>Ramayan</i> (2012 TV series) Indian TV series or programme

Ramayan: Sabke Jeevan Ka Aadhar is an Indian television series produced by Sagar Pictures which aired on Zee TV. It is an adaptation of Ramcharitmanas.

Ramleela – Ajay Devgn Ke Saath, commonly known as Ramleela is a mythological on-stage musical drama, based on the famous Indian epic poem Ramayan. The show premiered on 21 October 2012 on Life OK and completed the story in five episodes on 18 November 2012. The show was narrated by Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn, who provided a prologue at the beginning of each episode or act. The show aired during the period from Dussehra in October till Diwali in November.

<i>Sampoorna Ramayanam</i> (1958 film) 1958 film by K. Somu

Sampoorna Ramayanam is a 1958 Indian Tamil-language Hindu mythological film directed by K. Somu. It is based on Valmiki's Ramayana. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao in the lead role of Rama and Sivaji Ganesan as Bharatha. It was released on 14 April 1958 and ran for over 264 days in theatres, thereby becoming a silver jubilee hit. The film was dubbed into Hindi as Ramayan in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rama in Jainism</span> Jain illustrious person

Rama (Rāma), the hero of Ramayana, is described in the Jain scriptures as one of sixty-three illustrious persons, known as Salakapurusa. Among these, there are nine sets of Balabhadra, Vasudeva and Prati-Vasudeva. Rama was the 8th Balabhadra with Lakshmana and Ravana being his Vasudeva and Prati-Vasudeva counterparts. He is described as a young prince who is deprived of his throne and turned into a pauper. While living in exile his wife Sita is kidnapped by Ravana, King of Lanka. Rama then rescues Sita with the help of his brother Lakshmana and King Sugriva. Ravana is killed by Lakshmana and they both go into hell. Rama becomes a Jain muni and his soul attains moksha. Sita becomes a Jain sadhvi and is born into heaven as Indra.

<i>Sri Rama Pattabhishekam</i> Film directed by N. T. Rama Rao

Sri Rama Pattabhishekam is a 1978 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film directed and produced by N. T. Rama Rao under Ramakrishna Cine Studios banner. Based on the Ramayana, the film stars Rama Rao, Jamuna and Sangeeta, with music composed by Pendyala Nageswara Rao.

<i>Siya Ke Ram</i> Indian mythological television series based on Ramayana

Siya Ke Ram is an Indian TV series on Star Plus produced by Nikhil Sinha under the banner of Triangle Film Company. This show presents the epic Ramayana, the story of Rama and Devi Sita from Sita's perspective. The show features Madirakshi Mundle and Ashish Sharma playing as Goddess Sita and Lord Rama, respectively, and Karthik Jayaram as Raavan. It premiered on 16 November 2015 and ended on 4 November 2016.

<i>Ramayan</i> (2002 TV series) Indian mythological television series

Ramayan is a Hindi TV series that was aired on Zee TV in 2001. It is a television adaptation of the ancient Indian epic of the same name, and is primarily based on Valmiki's Ramayana, Tulsidas Ramcharitramanas, Kalidasa's Raghuvaṃśa and Kambar's Kambh Ramayana. It was produced and directed by Baldev Raj Chopra and Ravi Chopra.

<i>Shrimad Ramayan</i> Indian mythological television series

Shrimad Ramayan is an Indian Hindi-language mythological television series that premiered on 1 January 2024 on Sony Entertainment Television. Produced by Siddharth Kumar Tewary under the banner of Swastik Productions, the series stars Sujay Reu as Rama and Prachi Bansal as Sita.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Bhushan, Nyay (14 September 2010). "Warner India to release 'Ramayana'". The Hollywood Reporter . e5 Global Media. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chakraborty, Swarup (14 September 2010). "Warner Bros to distribute Ramayana". Business Standard . Business Standard Limited. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ramayana movie info". Bharat Movies. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  4. 1 2 "Ramayana: The Epic slideshow". MSN Entertainment India. Microsoft. 17 September 2010. Archived from the original on 20 September 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 "Animated Ramayana to Be Released for Dussehra". CineGoer. 15 September 2010. Archived from the original on 17 September 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Agencies (15 September 2010). "Warner Bros to distribute Ramayana-The Epic". ExpressIndia.com. The Indian Express Limited. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  7. 1 2 "Ramayana: The Epic". Box Office India . Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  8. 1 2 Nagpaul D'souza, Dipti (17 September 2010). "Epic Effort". IndianExpress.com. The Indian Express Limited. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  9. 1 2 3 Hurtado, Josh (13 September 2010). "Film News: Indian Animated 'Ramayana: The Epic' Picked Up by Warner Bros". Twitch Film . Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  10. 1 2 Staff (18 October 2010). "Ramayana The Epic to reach USA & Canada in early 2011". Indian Television Dot Com Pvt Ltd. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  11. ↑ "Three festival filcks 'Knocked Out' at BO". Hindustan Times . HT Media Limited. Indo-Asian News Service. 19 October 2010. Archived from the original on 4 November 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  12. ↑ Gupta, Shubhra (15 October 2010). "Ramayana: The Epic". IndianExpress.com. The Indian Express Limited. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  13. ↑ Kazmi, Nikhat (15 October 2010). "Ramayana: The Epic". The Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.
  14. ↑ Chopra, Anupama (15 October 2010). "Review: Ramayana: The Epic". NDTV Movies. NDTV Covergence Limited. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.