Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Rise of a Legend brings the ancient story of Rama to the screen on a vast scale. The three-hour film, the first part of a planned two-part story, stars Ranbir Kapoor as the prince and features music by Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman. It has no musical numbers.
Rama is presented as a warrior and statesman born in Ayodhya as a human embodiment of Vishnu. He marries Sita, played by Sai Pallavi, and shares a close bond with his brother Lakshmana, played by Ravi Dubey. When Rama’s father, King Dasharatha, prepares to give him the throne, his stepmother Kaikeyi insists that the crown should instead go to her son Bharata. Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are sent into exile in the forest.
The story also follows Ravana, king of Lanka, played by Naveen “Yash” Kumar. After Ravana kills his brother-in-law Vidyutjihva, Vidyutjihva’s widow, Shurpanakha, is banished to the forest. There she falls for Rama, setting events in motion that lead toward a confrontation between the two rulers and a campaign to rescue Sita after her abduction.
The film’s large-scale visuals include expansive landscapes and sunset skies, as well as a flying machine piloted by Ravana. Its adventurous style draws on familiar epic and popular-film storytelling, while the forest exile gives the royal family’s story a striking blend of solemnity and playfulness.
Sources: The Guardian Film.