Adipurush — Bollywood’s big-screen adaptation of Ramayana — is at the centre of a storm for its controversial dialogues, which the makers have decided to revise after criticism that they are “distorting and disrespecting” the epic. Audiences, actors, filmmakers, and political parties say that the makers have used “pedestrian language” for Gods. Apart from the dialogues written by Manoj Muntashir Shukla, Adipurush has also been trolled for its below-average VFX and poor character design.
The Om Raut-directed film starring Prabhas as Raghav (Ram), Kriti Sanon as Janaki (Sita), and Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh (Raavan) opened to big ticket sales on Friday (June 16). The film has made ₹300 crore worldwide in its opening weekend.
Muntashir, a three-time national award winner, said in a statement that he would revise the dialogues that are “hurting” the audience. He said though he has written more than 4,000 lines in Adipurush, some sentiments got hurt “because of five lines”.
“I can give countless arguments in favour of my dialogues, but this will not reduce your pain. I and the producer-director of the film have decided that some of the dialogues which are hurting you. We’ll revise them. They’ll be added to the film this week. May Shri Ram bless you all,” Manoj Muntashir Shukla said. A dialogue by Devdatta Nage’s Hanuman has particularly been criticised. It comes during the Lanka Dehen sequence where he’s heard saying, “Tel tere baap ka. Aag bhi tere baap ki. Toh jalegi bhi tere baap ki. ”
Another dialogue from the film calling Sita “India’s daughter” has not gone down well with the political establishment in Nepal. The film has been banned in the country’s capital Kathmandu and the tourist city Pokhara. The mayors of both cities have ordered cinema halls to halt screening of all Bollywood films.
“Indian film Adipurush features a dialogue claiming Janaki (Sita) was India’s daughter which is incorrect. To correct it, we had given three days ultimatum. It is the first duty of every government and non-government agency, and Nepali citizens to protect the national interest of the country,” Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah wrote in a post on Facebook.
The mayor added that Nepal’s cultural identity has been damaged by this act of “cultural encroachment”.
Sita is believed to have been born in Janakpur in southeast Nepal.
Reports suggest the makers have removed or modified the dialogue in question.
Many recent Bollywood films have become controversial, including The Kerala Story (2023) and The Kashmir Files (2022). Adah-Sharma directed The Kerala Story, which is based on true events, revolves around a Hindu woman who is brainwashed to join Islam. The movie was banned in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, while the BJP governments in various states waived the tax. Kerala’s politicians and Muslim leaders said the film would disturb religious harmony by demonising Muslims; The Kashmir Files (2022) is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley during the militancy phase in the Nineties. Israeli director and jury chairperson of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Nadav Lapid labeled the film “vulgar and propaganda”, igniting a furious debate. The film, promoted by BJP leaders, has been accused of promoting communal feelings.
