Hare Krishna.
The Adi Purush movie is an attempt to remake the timeless classic, the Ramayana, but it showcases how not to make a remake—how a remake can unmake the original in the minds and memories of those who watch it. I’ll discuss the problems with Adi Purush using three “D’s” and conclude with the final “D.”

The first D is Dialogue.
I am a highly verbal person, and I much prefer reading the scripts of movies to actually watching them. But in this particular case, the dialogues are terrible. The especially damaging and even damning dialogues are attributed to Hanuman, who is reduced to almost a street-side thug. In the very first meeting between Lord Ram and Hanuman, the first thing Lord Ram observes is how sweet, cultured, and calming Hanuman’s speech is. How, with millions of dollars being spent, nobody could catch this fundamental flaw is something that defies understanding and beggars belief.

The second D is Dignity.
Every character in the Ramayan is iconic. Even the women have a dignity about them. The drama offers entertainment, but it’s quality, holistic entertainment that helps everyone connect with the characters and understand where they are coming from. Even if the choices of characters like Kumbakarna or Indrajeet are not excusable, they are understandable because they conduct themselves with dignity. In Adi Purush, however, these characters are reduced to caricatures. The combination of excessive technology and inadequate personality leads to a lack of inspiration or contemplation of deeper values.

The third D is Depiction.
By depicting the Ramayan, the filmmakers should have built upon the time-tested, iconic images of the epic and its characters that exist in the minds of people. Instead, they have opted for cheap imitations of images from other Western movies and TV shows, such as Game of Thrones or Planet of the Apes. These borrowed elements are not only incompatible but violently violate the spirit of the Ramayana. For instance, the depiction of Ravana, who traditionally has ten heads, is presented in a highly irregular way. Similarly, Hanuman and Lakshman are depicted with beards and mustaches, which jars against the original imagery.

The depiction of these characters should have been timeless, but here, the filmmakers have used the contemporary to extinguish the timeless. The essence of the Ramayana should enhance what is timeless, but in this remake, it is lost.

The last D is Devotion.
The Ramayana is impactful because it inspires devotion—not just for Lord Ram, but also for those who have devotion for Him. There is an ancient Indian tradition in dramatic art known as Natya Shastra, which outlines one of the key purposes of drama: to evoke the appropriate emotions in the hearts of the audience. This Adi Purush depiction completely misses that point. It is not just a massive miss; it is a monstrous misrepresentation.

It would be better not to watch this film so that the sanctity of the original images is preserved. We should avoid having memories that we will later have to unmake. Of course, the Ramayana deserves a contemporary presentation, and the world needs the inspiration for values and deeper living that the Ramayana can provide. Adi Purush serves as an example of what not to do when making such an epic. The soul of the Ramayana is lost in this soulless remake.

Thankyou!