First review of Nitesh Tiwari's film Ramayana arrives; Ashish Chanchlani praises it

Director Nitesh Tiwari's film 'Ramayana' is generating significant buzz even before its release. Following a screening of the film in Mumbai, renowned content creator Ashish Chanchlani shared his initial reaction. Ashish highly praised the film's visuals, action sequences, and the performances of the actors, calling it a special film for Indian cinema.

According to a report by TV9 Gujarati, Ashish Chanchlani shared his review on his X account, describing the film as a grand and magnificent cinematic experience. He wrote that 'Ramayana' features some of the best action sequences seen in Indian cinema to date. In Ashish's view, the film's greatest strength is not just its visuals or action, but the skilled direction of Nitesh Tiwari. He stated that the entire film reflects Nitesh Tiwari's grip and understanding, and that he crafted the film with complete control.

Speaking about the star cast, Ashish described the performances of Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, and Yash as 'perfection'. In the film, Ranbir Kapoor portrays Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi plays Mata Sita, and Yash takes on the role of Ravana. Additionally, Ashish specifically praised Ravi Dubey, who delivered a stellar performance as Lakshman. He noted that the film also includes some light-hearted and humorous scenes featuring Ravi Dubey, which provide the audience a moment of levity amidst the gravity of the story.

However, Ashish also pointed out some minor technical flaws. He mentioned that the 'de-aging' effects used in night scenes to make the actors appear younger seem slightly awkward. Nevertheless, he stated that the editing is so tight that these flaws do not draw the audience's attention. He praised the efforts of the visual effects company DNEG and producer Namit Malhotra, stating that all the technical risks taken have been successful. According to a report by NDTV India, Ashish became very emotional and wept after the Jatayu scene.

Ashish appealed to people to watch the film on the largest screen possible. He warned against evaluating the film based on cheap leaks or piracy, as the film has been specifically made for the big screen. He expressed confidence that nothing can stop this film from becoming a historic blockbuster.

According to reports from Aaj Tak and Amar Ujala, the film's budget is ₹4000 crore, making it India's most expensive film. The story begins with Ravana. It depicts Ravana's lineage and how he pleased Brahma Dev and Lord Shiva through his penance. Ravana becomes the king of Lanka, conquers other kingdoms, and his adharma increases, leading Devraj Indra to pray to Lord Vishnu, who then takes an avatar as Ram.

The film portrays the love between King Dasharatha (Arun Govil) and his four sons. Ram and Lakshman receive education from Guru Vishwamitra. The story progresses from the slaying of Tadka-Subahu to Sita's Swayamvar. Subsequently, Ram's coronation is to take place, but due to two boons granted to Mata Kaikeyi, Ram, Sita, and Lakshman must go into exile. In the forest, Shurpanakha enters and insists on marrying Ram. Maryada Purushottam Ram rejects her, after which Lakshman cuts off her nose. Following this incident, Shurpanakha goes to her brothers Khar-Dushan and Ravana. The film depicts the confrontation between Ram, Sita, and Lakshman against Khar-Dushan and his army of 14,000 demons. The first part of the film presents the story up to the abduction of Sita and the fierce battle between Ravana and Jatayu.

According to a report by Amar Ujala, the film begins with the voice of Anupam Kher, who has voiced Pakshiraj Jatayu. He explains that this story is centuries old, from a time when there was a war between gods and demons. Devraj Indra (Kunal Kapoor) defeated the demons and handed over the kingdom of Lanka to Kubera. Subsequently, when the life of the demon clan of Lanka became impoverished, Maharani Kaikesi (Shobhana) inspired her son Dashanan (Yash) to reclaim the kingdom. Dashanan performed such severe penance that Brahmaji appeared and granted him the boon of immortality, but in his arrogance, he forgot to ask that no human could kill him.

According to Aaj Tak, Nitesh Tiwari has placed more emphasis on emotions than visuals. The director has effectively presented the pain experienced by Lord Ram in his life, such as leaving the kingdom to live in the forest, not being present during his father's final moments, and the abduction of Sita. The scene of Jatayu's death also deeply saddens the audience. The cinematography is so magnificent that it often does not feel like an Indian film.

However, a different opinion was seen in Amar Ujala's review. It stated that the film feels more like a VFX-heavy movie than one driven by emotions. The review mentioned that while Yash dominated in the role of Ravana, Ranbir Kapoor fell short in the role of Ram. According to this report, the film will succeed in gaining global recognition but may find it difficult to carve a place in the hearts of the audience. This film is receiving a better response than the previous film 'Adipurush', although some people trolled it before release for its songs and excessive use of VFX.

Namit Malhotra announced this mega-budget film in 2017, with the aim of bringing the epic Ramayana and the strength of Bollywood to the world. Nitesh Tiwari, who has previously delivered films like 'Dangal' and 'Chhichhore', has this time brought the epic to the screen.