Ramayana Part 1 review: Yash, Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi's spectacular film breathes new life into an epic we know by heart

Ramayana Part 1

Director: Nitesh Tiwari

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash

Rating: 4 stars

Probably every Indian has heard it, seen it, acted in a school play or read about it: the Ramayana. 39 years ago, Ramanand Sagar's television adaptation brought the entire country to a standstill every Sunday. People tell me how they would drop everything to sit in front of the television, with streets practically deserted during the show's time slot. The cultural impact of that adaptation is difficult to replicate. Delivering something that can stand alongside a legacy of this magnitude is a Herculean task.

Does Namit Malhotra's Ramayana: Part 1 have the bravado to pull it off? In short: yes.

A story everyone knows

The story is based on Valmiki's Ramayana, and here, it starts off with Raavan's backstory. It sets the stage up for a visual and narrative contrast when we are introduced to his nemesis, Ram. The screenplay by Sridhar Raghavan and Nitesh Tiwari has enough emotional and dramatic moments. But the first half is slow. The aim, which was always to split the movie into two parts, gave the makers a lot of room for character study. Which gives us long introductions for pretty much everyone. This drags the first half down. There are also some minor issues with the AI dubbing.

The second half thankfully raises the action and we get some truly breathtaking sequences. Which brings me to the VFX. Done by DNEG, Namit's company, perhaps 70 percent of the total budget must have been invested on this technical bit. How else do you justify an alleged ₹4000 crore investment?

I am happy to report, all that money shows on screen. This is not an average VFX driven film; care has actually been put into how it all looks. Ramayana Part 1 can truly stand up to any Hollywood film in this aspect.

What is also praiseworthy is how care has been taken to cover the basics properly: from how Raavan took over Kuber's Lanka, his Shiv bhakti, that moment of horror when Kaikayi realises her folly- all this sucks you into the film. The makers have not messed with how Indians remember the story. (Hi, Adipurush, here's looking at you.)

The music is a letdown

Now the much publicised collaboration of Hollywood legend Hans Zimmer and Indian titan AR Rahman for the music and background score. While it certainly sounds pleasing and lends a lot to some sequences, the expectations were so sky high that the ultimate results fall short. The songs seem unnecessary sometimes.

In the performance department, Yash has redeemed himself after Toxic. He owns Ramayana Part 1. Be it his swagger, perpetual expression of smugness as Raavan... he looks, walks, talks the part. The makers have interpreted the ten faces of Raavan brilliantly and it will certainly extract praise.

Ranbir Kapoor as Ram is a mixed bag. He moves effortlessly through the action sequences, but doesn't quite evoke the sense of devotion that Arun Govil did back in the day. The fact that Govil himself plays Raja Dashrath here makes for a rather sweet full circle moment. He is pitch perfect.

Lara Dutta is bang on as Kaikeyi. Sheeba Chadha as Manthara feels like casting that was simply meant to happen. Who better to play the woman responsible for one of the epic's biggest turning points? She leaves a lasting impression despite having just one pivotal scene.

Any doubts over Sai Pallavi's casting disappear the moment she appears on screen. As Sita, she brings the right amount of grace to the role.

Ravi Dubey as Laxman suits the part to the T. He embodies both the devotion and impulsive nature of the character.

The highlight of the film, however, is undoubtedly the Jatayu sequence, as the valiant bird attempts to rescue Sita from Raavan. Voiced by Anupam Kher, Jatayu in the climax makes for one of the high points.

To sum it up, Raavan may have had ten heads, but the makers have a rather bigger challenge to deal with: the expectations of an entire country. Part 1 has managed to navigate that minefield, giving us a visually spectacular retelling while staying true to the emotional beats of the epic. The real fireworks are reserved for the next instalment. With Sunny Deol's arrival as Hanuman, the Sanjeevani buti scene and the much awaited war still to come, Part 2 has its work cut out. The good news? The makers seem to know what they are doing. The bad news for Raavan? Well, we all know how this ends.