Adipurush is a total mockery of the epic tale of Ramayana. This film is a disaster in terms of story development, screenplay and dialogues, acting and action. Adipurush has a VFX budget of Rs 250-crore but the VFX looks like a school kid’s work, while the south Indian film Kantara had a total film budget of Rs 16-crore and the VFX work was legendary.

Adipurush is a lesson to all film-makers on how not to make a film. In the film, Lord Hanuman (played by Devdatta Nage) speaks like a street bully using slang language. Ramayana is reimagined in the worst way possible, dragging the Gods down from their pedestals. The cast and costumes are a misfit, Ram (played by Prabhas) looks like Raavan from Ramanand Sagar’s TV series Ramayan. Everything in it, from casting, costume, production to editing is almost like a frivolous joke. The Japanese creators did far more justice to India’s culture than the creators of Adipurush. Yugo Sako’s Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama (1992) is an anime film and a timeless creation. I am recalling this Japanese creation to reinforce the irony of foreigners having a better sense of our culture than some Indian film-makers. We need a reboot and a far better creation of Ramayana to detoxify from this mess. (I liked/didn’t like Adipurush because... June 17)

Himel Ghosh

I didn’t like Adipurush because it makes a complete hash of the Indian epic Ramayana on which it is based. The movie, on the whole, is an epic disappointment. A strain on your nerves at a running time of 2 hours and 59 minutes. The movie is a sheer waste of time and is to be strictly avoided.

PVS Krishnan

As a cinema enthusiast, I was excitedly looking forward to the cinematic adaptation of one of the most revered epics in India, Ramayana. Unfortunately, the film fell short of my expectations. Adipurush, based on the epic Ramayana penned by Maharishi Valmiki, was a huge disappointment. Despite being produced on a mammoth budget, the film doesn’t retain any essence of the epic. It fails to elicit fascination among the audience predominantly because of its unseemly dialogues and woeful VFX.

Director Om Raut is unable to maintain synchronisation between the characters. In such epic mythological films, attention must be paid to the costumes, cultural background and the art of fighting wars in that period. If any of these elements are missing, the film will appear unreal, absurd and anachronistic, and that’s what happened to Adipurush. The star cast appeared totally out of place with only Saif Ali Khan delivering an incredible performance in a negative role. The performances of Prabhas and Kriti Sanon couldn’t salvage the film either.

Aayman Anwar Ali

Adipurush is an adaptation of Valmiki’s Ramayana. Based on the Indian mythological tale, Adipurush needed to depict the contest between good vs evil that is so familiar to all of us. Agreed, it’s not an easy feat to recreate an epic tale, but in spite of all the research material at hand — through Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas and Valmiki’s Ramayana — if this is director Om Raut’s best take on the contemporary Ramayana, we immediately need to go back and revisit the original in order to restore its glory and our sanity. My main objection to this film is its language. The scriptwriter (Manoj Muntashir) seems to have forgotten that he was rewriting a story that is part of India’s ancient heritage. Even the casting and action sequences were not up to the mark. I am not saying that the whole movie was bad. Adipurush starts off on a lovely note. The visuals in the song Ram Siya Ram are beautiful and the makers smartly and briefly explain the context and background and begin the story straightaway from the vanvaas track.

Lankesh’s (played by Saif Ali Khan) entry is superb and so is the song Shivoham. To show Lankesh’s statues singing the song was cinematic brilliance. The first half is lengthier than the second and yet, it is impactful. Some of the scenes that stand out in the first half are Lankesh kidnapping Janki (Kriti Sanon), Raghav meeting Shabari, Bajrang’s entry, Bajrang meeting Raghav for the first time, Sugriva and Bali’s fight and the intermission point. Post-interval, the film mostly failed to impress.

Bipasa Gain

My excitement was at its peak as I waited to watch Adipurush, based on the epic Ramayana. The story tried to capture all the key events of the epic. The golden deer, the abduction of Janki, Garuda, the Sugriv-Bali episode, the Ram Setu, Hanuman setting fire to Lanka, Kumbhakarn, Vibhishan, Hanuman acquiring the sanjeevani herb, and more are covered in the three-hour Adipurush journey.

Maybe it was a challenge to fit the 79 episodes of the TV series Ramayana into three hours for a film. So the plot and scenes appeared over-paced. The lead characters of Raghav, Janki and Raavan were satisfactory but the same cannot be said of Bajrang and Lakshman. The dialogues were often ‘tapori’ type and not suitable for a movie based on an epic.

Overall, the dialogue and songs are best not mentioned. The last fight needed more spicing up with effects. The experience was more like watching a video game rather than a mahasangram. Overall I would consider this movie a one-time watch to appreciate the effort of covering the essence of Ramayana, frame by frame.

Deepak Bothra

As a fan of Indian cinema and mythology, I was eagerly waiting for this movie and I must say it exceeded all my expectations. Director Om Raut’s vision and storytelling prowess shines through in every frame of Adipurush. The grandeur and scale of the production are breathtaking, and the attention to detail in recreating ancient settings commendable. The visual effects are top-notch, blending with the narrative and adding an extra layer of realism to the mythical world. The battle sequences are awe-inspiring too. Prabhas, known for his charismatic screen presence, delivers an extraordinary performance as Raghav. His portrayal effortlessly captures the essence of the character, showcasing both his strength as a warrior and his devotion as a prince.

Saif Ali Khan’s portrayal of the antagonist, Lankesh, is an absolute treat to watch. He brings an unmatched intensity to the role, infusing the character with a complex mix of power, arrogance and vulnerability. Saif’s nuanced performance elevates the character, making him more than just a typical villain. The confrontation scenes between Prabhas and Saif are electrifying. Kriti Sanon as Janki brings grace and strength to the character, while Sunny Singh as Shesh displays unwavering loyalty and a fiery spirit. The music and background score by Ajay-Atul is mesmerising, capturing the essence of the story and enhancing the emotional impact of key moments. The songs are beautifully choreographed, adding to the overall visual splendour of the film.

One of the highlights of Adipurush is its exceptional visual effects and production design. From the majestic sets to the breathtaking battle sequences, every frame is a work of art. The mythical creatures and larger-than-life characters come to life in vivid detail. Prabhas’s stellar performance, Saif Ali Khan’s compelling portrayal and Om Raut’s masterful direction come together to create an epic spectacle.

Roshni Ojha

There was a lot going on in my mind after watching Om Raut’s Adipurush. First, it is a tale as old as time. One has grown up on the various renditions, backstories and interpretations of one of the oldest epics ever. It is a seriously colossal weight to carry for any filmmaker. The scenic recreation of my childhood calendars, before which one was required to sway lighted incense sticks and pray for better marks, is what took my heart. It was all VFX, I realised, but all is fair in love and war.

And what’s not to like in a Raghav (Prabhas) who looks straight out of a dream? Janki, ably portrayed by a willowy, glowing Kriti Sanon, clad in the silkiest of saris, goose-stepping on the grassiest meadows was the stuff of our childhood dreams. A princess like no other.

A damsel in distress, a steely resolve, the loyalty of brothers, an outstanding scholar and devotee of Shiva, whose power goes to his 10 heads, intensely portrayed by Saif Ali Khan. Ramayana is an ageless classic and has lessons for everyone of all ages and all walks of life. It is the story which takes one’s breath away and produces blockbuster films, thousands of years after its creation That, in itself, is a humbling miracle.

Pampa Paul

The much-awaited movie Adipurush directed by Om Raut is based on the epic Ramayana. But the director creates his own 3D video game-like version of Ramayana which is absolutely ridiculous and trivial. Characters like Hanuman, Indrajit and Shesh speak in a strange, awkward way which is certainly not the language of epic characters. After Bahubali, Prabhas prefers to see himself in larger-than-life characters. But in this movie, Raghav has no such power or confidence. There is a proverb in Bengali ‘Ram Raboner judhho’ (battle of Ram and Raavan) that indicates the intense horror of battle due to the huge power of the heroes from both sides. On the contrary, this movie has a few loud and almost childishly funny battle scenes. Characters like Vibhishan, Mandodri and Meghnad all look like walking-talking puppets.

The strong point of the movie is its music and the calm acting of Kriti Sanon. Her look is also very pretty and perfect. The visual effects of the first half are soothing and nice. It’s a one-time watch for me because this big-budget movie failed to create any magic.

Sarbani Banerjee

My very first question to the makers would be, ‘What was the need to make this utterly disappointing film full of distorted history?’ The recreated glamorous mythology is unquestionably a disaster and a waste of resources. First of all, meet the poor remake, the stone-faced hunk — Prabhas as Raghav. His only contribution is those absurd VFX muscles. He should salute Sharad Kelkar for giving life to his mannequin body and face. Sunny Singh as Shesh was wondering what he was doing there. The only saving grace is Kriti Sanon as Janki and she does a somewhat decent job.

For me, the actual hero and crowd-puller is Bajrangbali and he was the reason I remain seated till the end. Saif as Lankesh reminded me of Khilji in Padmaavat. The make-up is pathetic. Saif is a good actor but had to surrender himself to that caricaturish character. The less said the better about the cheap and demeaning dialogues. Songs looked forced and out of place and could not match up to the mythological period. Sadly, for the fight sequences, it looked like they had hired the crew from The Planet of the Apes (which for me is a masterpiece) to fight with the peculiar aliens! The film has been made in a hurry with zero emotion and values. Just repeatedly chanting and yelling Jai Shri Ram does not attract viewership. Please introspect and save us from this crass, undesirable reinterpretation of our roots and culture.

Saurav Gupta