Movie: 'Epic Sri Ramayana Katha'
Star Cast: Anjali Arora, Dev Sharma, Rajneesh Duggal Stars: 3.5
The story of Ramayana is deeply connected with the culture and faith of our country. This is the reason that whenever an attempt is made to bring Ramayana on screen through a film or serial, the expectations of the audience increase a lot. Now in this series, the new film Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha has reached the theatres.
There was a lot of discussion about the film since its announcement. There was a lot of talk on social media especially about Anjali Arora being seen in the role of Mother Sita. People raised many questions regarding the film's casting and VFX. But now after watching the film, the question is whether this film lives up to those expectations?
How is the story?
The story of the film shows the journey of Lord Shri Ram, which we have been hearing and seeing since childhood. The story begins in Ayodhya, where preparations are going on for the coronation of Shri Ram, but circumstances change and he has to go into exile.
After this the story reaches Panchavati, abduction of Mother Sita, meeting Hanuman ji, monkey army and Lanka. At last the story reaches its climax with the battle between Dharma and Adharma between Ram and Ravana.
That is, an attempt has been made to cover almost all the major and important milestones of Ramayana in the film. The good thing is that no attempt was made to make the story too complicated.
Who impressed you in acting?
Anjali Arora was being talked about the most and after watching the film, it has to be said that she has tried to play the character of Mata Sita with a lot of sincerity. His expressions and emotional scenes look good in the film.
Whereas Dev Sharma has adopted a very calm and restrained style in the character of Lord Shri Ram. His dialogue delivery has been kept soft instead of loud, which suits the character.
Rajneesh Duggal looks very strong in the role of Ravana. A different energy is visible in his scenes and his screen presence also attracts attention.
Direction and Screenplay
Director Abhishek Singh has relied more on traditional presentation instead of making the film more modern than necessary. This is what gives the film a familiar feel.
Talking about the screenplay, no attempt has been made to stretch the story of the film too much. Major events unfold quickly, which keeps the film quite accessible. However, at some places the story could have been developed in a better way. Some events feel like they are moving a bit hastily.
VFX is the biggest weakness of the film
Now let's talk about the thing that has caused the most damage to the film, VFX. In a story with a big canvas like Ramayana, visuals play a big role. Some scenes in the film look good, but at many places the finishing of VFX clearly looks weak.
Especially in the big battles and some larger-than-life sequences, the grandness that is expected from such a film is not seen. If a little more work had been done on VFX and technical detailing, the overall impact of the film could have been much better.
Final Verdict
So should we watch 'Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha'?
If you want to see the story of Ramayana in a straight forward and emotional style, then you may like some parts of the film. The actors have made honest efforts from their side and the music of the film also supports the mood of the story.
But weak VFX, some rushed portions and technical limitations prevent the film from being a great cinematic experience.
Overall, 'Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha' is an average effort, in which the hard work of the actors and the emotional strength of the story is visible, but the lack of visuals and execution becomes its biggest weakness.