Adipurush movie review: Half baked VFX, cartoonish dialogues and stoic performances leave this one to Lord Ram's mercy

Kapda tere baap ka, tel tere baap ki, Lanka bhi tere baap ka toh jalegi bhi tere baap ki.' There is a sudden transformation from the traditional dialect to these laughable roadway dialogues in the second half of the Prabhas starrer Adipurush. Director Om Raut might have had his heart in the right place but alas, this one was a huge miss. The half-baked VFX and CGI don't even make the final battle sequence convincing coupled with the performances which lack the divinity and essence required for such magnanimous and revered characters.

The plot needs no explanation. It is the immortalized glorious and worshipped tale of the magnanimity of Lord Ram. His quest to rescue his beloved wife Devi Sita from the clutches of the evil Ravan. The movie mainly focuses on the events which begin after the abduction of Sita and the fight between Dharm and Adharm after that.

From where do I even begin with the absurdity and the lack of connection to this epic tale in Adipurush? From Indrajeet telling Ram, ‘Nikal Yaha Se’ to one of Ravan’s soldiers yelling at Hanuman, ‘Yeh Tere Bua Ka Bageecha Hai Kya?” one cannot fathom the sudden switch to the gen-z roguish dialogues which have been penned at the latter half of the movie. Lanka was called golden for its unmatchable beauty but it was instead transformed into a dungeon-like prison set-up resembling the sets of the KGF franchise. Ravan’s Pushpak Viman has been replaced by a giant bat that resembles one of the dragons from Game Of Thrones. Ravan roams around with a large herd of bats and demons which look like the dementors from Harry Potter.

You find all the statues of Ravan out of nowhere crooning the Tandav song ‘Shivoham.’ Ram, Sita, and Laxman’s abode during their exile was the Panchavati forest where they had set up a modest hut. But instead, their home is shown to be a morose-looking cave. The entire Vanar Sena looks like a cheap rip-off of The Planet Of Apes while the demons of Lanka look like a downgrade version of Shrek. The final battle sequence also does not add any special goosebump-worthy moments. The battle between Indrajeet and Laxman coupled with the Kumbhakaran death scene lacks that Wow factor. The clash between Ram and Ravan could have been more symbolic and adrenaline rushing but there is hardly any impact.

Talking about the performances, Prabhas as Raghav tries to adopt the glory and bravery of Lord Ram but his demeanor and performance lack the fire and spark needed for this role. There is an overwhelming monotony in his performance which makes you question his effort. And don’t get me started on Saif Ali Khan’s Ravan. Imagine an over-the-top and caricaturish combination of Khal Drogo and the Vikings. The maniacal laughter, blue contact lenses, spiked razor-cut hairdo, and the disturbingly giant body structure by a poor CGI makes his performance rather laughable. Sunny Singh as Laxman is dangerously one-note.

The only stand-outs are Kriti Sanon as Janki and Devdatta Nage as Hanuman. Kriti more or less tries to do justice to her character bringing beauty, empathy, tenderness, and the intensity which was required in her scenes. Devdatta Nage shines as Hauman right from his introduction scene. He is a treat to watch especially in the scenes which include him testing Ram and Laxman, setting fire to Lanka, and bringing the Sanjivani mountain. Siddhant Karnick as Vibhishan, Vatsal Seth as Indrajeet, and Sonal Chauhan as Mandodari are highly forgettable.

Another highlight of the film is the tracks ‘Jai Shree Ram’ by Ajay-Atul and Ram Siya Ram by Sachet and Parampara. Even the song ‘Tu Hai Sheetal Dhara’ by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal is pleasant to the ears. The soundtracks do full justice to the essence of the characters and the plot. On a concluding note, filmmaker Om Raut’s attempt to bring this timeless glorious epic on the big screen is commendable but alas, the poor execution makes this one a miss.