There has been a lot of outrage created over the Adipurush teaser featuring Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, and Saif Ali Khan. The Om Raut directorial is being condemned over its VFX and alleged Islamisation of the Ramayana. Now, Sunil Lahri, who played Laxman in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, has expressed his disappointment.
Adipurush controversy
Prabhas’ Adipurush is presently making headlines after its teaser was released on October 2. Adipurush was one of the most expected films, but it did not live up to the expectations of fans. Netizens sensed that the visual effects were not up to the mark. From being heavily trolled for its VFX to people calling it a misrepresentation of Indian culture, Adipurush is still being criticized by many. In fact, the hashtag #BoycottAdipurush was also trending on Twitter earlier.
Sunil Lahri, who played Lakshman in Ramanand Sagar’s television adaptation of the Ramayana, has now commented on the film.
Speaking to DNA Sunil Lahri said, “After watching the teaser, at present, my views are neutral. It’s neither entirely positive, nor it’s totally negative. They have just introduced the characters and their personalities. So till now, they haven’t conveyed anything that really annoyed me. I think ki zabadasti ki controversy create ki ja rahi hai to popularise the film. (I think there is an unnecessary fuss created around the film to popularise it”
Negative reactions over Saif Ali Khan
In the cinematic adaptation of Ramayana, Saif plays the mighty, evil king Raavan. Saif’s look has mostly received negative reactions. Netizens have compared his look to a barbarian king. When Lahri was asked about his thoughts on character representation, Sunil said, “We all have an image set in our minds, and we have grown up watching a particular reference to Lord Ram all these years. So, they have tried to break the conventional image of Raavan. This is an individual take of a creative person, and as an artist, everyone has a right to present their interpretation of a story,” he said.
Commenting on the controversy, Suni Lahri added, “I will say this, the audience isn’t going to tolerate nonsense in this country anymore, not against our faith, or the gods we pray to. The audience has already shown what it is capable of, and it will do so again. This is the new India, people are united now.”
Sunil further explained the different variations of Ramayan across the globe and said. “There are several Eastern Asia countries, like Thailand, Myanmar, and others where Ramayan has a great following. They all have different representations of these idols. Their looks have been different. This is just a teaser, let’s wait for the trailer and the film.” Sunil concluded.
