As strange as it may sound, now even our mythological deities have got a makeover for their silver screen appearance. We now have Lord Ram with chiselled features, rippling muscles and six-pack abs taking on the fearsome Ravan in a hi-tech 3D battle in the upcoming movie Ramayan — The Epic.
The idea of a hot-bod Lord Ram may be amusing for some, but for the director of the movie, Chetan Desai, it was about creating a perfect look. He says, “Shri Ram was a warrior prince, in fact, the greatest of his time. It’s obvious that he would have had a good physique, so we designed his animated character keeping that in mind. So far we’ve always seen gentler features, but we can’t forget that he was a Kshatriya.”
Boishali Sinha Massot, an artist who likes painting mythological deities, feels it’s a “cool” idea. She says, “Actually it’s the creator’s version and if he wants to show a fit God what’s wrong with it? You see, every generation has its own interpretation and Shiva with a moustache or Ram with six-pack abs doesn’t make a difference. Even Greek gods are sculpted and painted with highlighted muscular physique everywhere in the world.”
However, some beg to differ and feel mythological gods and goddess with a chiselled physique won’t gel with the traditional image we have of our deities. Nishak Sharma, a student, says, “Lord Ram with six-pack abs is a funny concept because it totally seems inspired by our Bollywood heroes. Next you’ll see Lord Ganesha with eight-packs instead of the conventional big stomach. Some things shouldn’t be tampered with.”