Ramayana – The Epic

Rating: ***

Finally,an animation film that give us real life figures and welcome depth. The quality of the 3 D animation in Ramayan,reportedly Bollywood’s most expensive till date,is excellent.

The epic has been condensed with intelligence,keeping in mind the nano-attention span of audiences these days. The birth of four sons to Ayodhya’s Raja Dashrath,Sita’s swayamvar,Ram’s vanvas are all speedily gone through. So are the episodes dealing with Surpanakha,Ravan’s sister who goes crying to him after Ram rejects her advances,and the stage is set for the epic battle between Ram and Ravan,good and evil.

For audiences who’ve had to suffer the flatness of most Indian animated features,this is good news. If one film can break the barrier,so can the others that follow. Watch out for nice details which can really make a film: Sita’s nails are slightly dirty; she may be a divine being,but what else can they be if she lives in a garden? Raavan,voiced wonderfully by Ashutosh Rana,is the scene stealer. So is Hanuman,whose Lanka dahan is great fun.

What you really mind after seeing such visual acuity is the stodgy dialogue. You raise your hopes when a character says “kya bakwas hai”. That’s easy,chatty,conversational,and that’s the kind of style you need in contemporary animation. And then you hear the dreaded,heavy-on-Sanskrit lines: “manoram vatavaran”,“hum upkrat huey”,and so on. Why,why?

Still,there’s enough to enjoy in the film. Make this a family outing,just right for the Dusshera weekend.

shubra.gupta@expressindia.com