The return of the epics
With the much-hyped Raavan and Rajneeti making waves around the country, youngsters are not just rushing to theatres, but also to bookstores to brush up on epics. While Raavan is said to be inspired by Ramayana, Rajneeti brings Mahabharata to life on screen.
Praveen Shankar rushed to call his mother immediately after watching Rajneeti, just to verify some mythological facts with her. “For a long time, I thought Duryodhana is a character in Ramayana, but while the movie was playing, my friend said that Manoj Bajpai played the role of Duryodhana, a character in Mahabharata,” says the confused Praveen, adding, “My mom thought, it was some kind of a joke when I called her to clear my doubts on Mahabharata. I have never shown any interest in the epics before.”
Though both these movies are contemporary takes on epics, youngsters have developed a renewed interest in classics and are keen to brush up their knowledge on them. Twenty-six year old Amit Gurbani says, “I had heard that Raavan revolves around Ramayana and Abhishek Bachchan portrays the unspoken aspects of Ravana. So, I brushed up on my facts before I went to watch the movie.”
While Raavan received mixed reviews, movie lovers have varied opinions on the latest trends of movies inspired by epics. “I am well-versed with Ramayana. While watching the movie, I could relate with the characters. Directors, who pick shades from the characters in epics and paint a new version, should be careful about not confusing youngsters, who don’t know much about these epics,” says VJ Ramya.
But many welcome the trend of movies that give a contemporary twist to epics.
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