Entertainment News / Mukesh Khanna slams Ramayana makers over Sita's portrayal, questions Rs4,000 crore budget
·32 mins ago·3 min read
Key Points
Actor Mukesh Khanna has criticised the makers of Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi-starrer Ramayana Part One over the portrayal of Goddess Sita in action sequences. He questioned the creative liberties taken by the filmmakers and alleged that recovering the reported Rs4,000 crore budget appeared to be a bigger priority than faithfully adapting the epic.
Bhubaneswar, Nov 10: Actor Mukesh Khanna has sparked a debate after criticising the makers of Ramayana Part One, over their portrayal of Goddess Sita. The actor expressed strong objections to certain scenes in the mythological epic, particularly those showing Sita fighting monsters.
Khanna also questioned the creative liberties taken by the filmmakers, alleging that the focus appeared to be more on recovering the film's reported Rs 4,000 crore budget than presenting the story authentically.
Sharing his views in a YouTube vlog, Mukesh Khanna questioned whether filmmakers should alter or reinterpret events from Valmiki's Ramayana while adapting the epic for the big screen. He said that the film had triggered considerable discussion on social media, with viewers and YouTubers debating its content and potential box-office performance.
"I want to ask Hindi filmmakers: is it fair to distort facts mentioned in Valmiki's Ramayana and go beyond it to show your vision," Khanna said.
Khanna also questioned the creative liberties taken by the filmmakers, alleging that the focus appeared to be more on recovering the film's reported Rs 4,000 crore budget than presenting the story authentically.
Sharing his views in a YouTube vlog, Mukesh Khanna questioned whether filmmakers should alter or reinterpret events from Valmiki's Ramayana while adapting the epic for the big screen. He said that the film had triggered considerable discussion on social media, with viewers and YouTubers debating its content and potential box-office performance.
"I want to ask Hindi filmmakers: is it fair to distort facts mentioned in Valmiki's Ramayana and go beyond it to show your vision," Khanna said.
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He further questioned the makers' priorities, arguing that recovering the reported Rs 4,000 crore production budget seemed to have become a major concern rather than telling the story faithfully.
"People have objected to Sita fighting like the Rani of Jhansi. In the film, she is fighting 2-3 monsters; I cross-checked this in Valmiki's Ramayana, and this is not there in it," he said.
Referring to Valmiki's Ramayana, the actor claimed that such an incident was not part of the original text. Khanna further argued that Sita was not depicted as a warrior in the version of the epic he referred to. He questioned why Ravana was able to abduct her if she possessed the fighting abilities shown in the film.
Khanna also referred to a social media post that, according to him, justified the fighting sequence by citing the Adbhuth Ramayana rather than Valmiki's Ramayana. He questioned the decision to draw from different versions of the epic to introduce scenes that were not present in the original text.
"There was only one original Ramayana, which was written by Valmiki; whatever is written in it, you cannot go two steps ahead of it," he said.
He also expressed concern that different interpretations of the epic could be used primarily for entertainment purposes rather than preserving its traditional narrative.
"People have objected to Sita fighting like the Rani of Jhansi. In the film, she is fighting 2-3 monsters; I cross-checked this in Valmiki's Ramayana, and this is not there in it," he said.
Referring to Valmiki's Ramayana, the actor claimed that such an incident was not part of the original text. Khanna further argued that Sita was not depicted as a warrior in the version of the epic he referred to. He questioned why Ravana was able to abduct her if she possessed the fighting abilities shown in the film.
Khanna also referred to a social media post that, according to him, justified the fighting sequence by citing the Adbhuth Ramayana rather than Valmiki's Ramayana. He questioned the decision to draw from different versions of the epic to introduce scenes that were not present in the original text.
"There was only one original Ramayana, which was written by Valmiki; whatever is written in it, you cannot go two steps ahead of it," he said.
He also expressed concern that different interpretations of the epic could be used primarily for entertainment purposes rather than preserving its traditional narrative.
He also asked the filmmakers to explain the source of the scene showing Sita fighting monsters and why they decided to include it in the film.
Khanna said that audiences had grown up listening to and watching traditional versions of the Ramayana, making significant changes to familiar characters a sensitive issue.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film features a star-studded ensemble led by Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash.
Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama, while Sai Pallavi portrays Goddess Sita and Yash appears as Ravana. Sunny Deol plays Hanuman, and Ravi Dubey takes on the role of Lakshmana. The epic also features several prominent actors like Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, Rakul Preet Singh, Kajal Aggarwal, Vivek Oberoi, Kunal Kapoor and many more.
Khanna said that audiences had grown up listening to and watching traditional versions of the Ramayana, making significant changes to familiar characters a sensitive issue.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film features a star-studded ensemble led by Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash.
Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama, while Sai Pallavi portrays Goddess Sita and Yash appears as Ravana. Sunny Deol plays Hanuman, and Ravi Dubey takes on the role of Lakshmana. The epic also features several prominent actors like Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, Rakul Preet Singh, Kajal Aggarwal, Vivek Oberoi, Kunal Kapoor and many more.
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