Ramayana: Screen Version

“War, in some ways, is merciful to men. It makes them heroes if they are the victors. If they are the vanquished – they do not live to see their homes taken, their wives widowed. But if you are a woman – you must live through defeat…” ― Samhita Arni, Sita’s Ramayana. According to Subhamoy Das, the epic tale of Shri Rama, Ramayana, teaches about human values. Ramayana is one of the largest ancient epics and is also one of the two major Sanskrit in India. The story is about the taking of Sita by the feared Rakshasa king, and to be saved by Rama.

Rama, the eldest son, son of Dasharatha and Kausalya. He is the manifestation of Vishnu who was going to banish Ravana, the king of Lanka, and the great king of the Rakshasa. Rama’s wife, Sita, is the daughter of Janaka. She is a kind and faithful wife, offers her body and soul to Rama. The person that accompanied them both in the exile of Rama was Lakshmana, the brother of Rama. The story narrates the life of Rama, and in a third-person point of view. In the first part of the story, the story was being told by two people at a cliff. It continued on until they were at that moment of time, ending their storytelling, but the story continues at that point on. From what I had processed of the story, it was about faith and hope for something to happen to them. Though not entirely, they moved the way want on accomplishing that hope they were thinking of. The story is fiction, for there is no way that there would be talking animals, flying carriages, and demons, but the proof would make me think otherwise. It has the culture of Indians, their beliefs, and their religions. They have a different way of thinking, which interests me on why, and wanted to know it. An example is an act of when Sita refused on getting saved by Hanuman and instead be saved by Rama, defeating Ravana in the process. A person would have accepted the invitation and would be free from their clutches. The war between Rama and Ravana, started by having Ravana make a choice, whether release Sita or start this war. Ravana keeps on not giving up Sita, so the war started. It was heart-pounding, having some go through risks. At some point, Lakshmana was hit, making him go into a deep sleep, but with the help of the monkey men, Lakshmana was cured of the coma. The kingdom of Ravana was in the middle of the boundless sea, making it a tough feat for Rama. But nevertheless, they all worked hard and made their way through the sea, with also the help of the water god.

The kidnapping of Sita took a toll on Rama. Rama never wanted this to happen, maybe blaming himself a little for getting fooled by the golden deer. But that didn’t stop him from giving in to despair. He was very hopeful, wanting to get back Sita no matter what. Practicing each day on his archery, talking to the monkey men, having individuals become his allies, his brother also helping him. His dedication didn’t falter, even after three months of no news of Sita. He trusted the monkey men that they’ll find her. The story tells the people to never stop trying to get something they could grasp. It also brings awareness that you should follow what your authorities say if it’s within reasons. Not following could get you endangered. The way that people treat each other is like the ideologies people think of.

The characters were portrayed by stereotypes. Not all brothers accompany you, not all wives are faithful. Lakshmana was very loyal to Rama and never left his side. Sita stayed faithful to Rama and didn’t deny Ravana. The allies of Rama were very lively. It indeed gave the movie some life and made it more dramatic. The pacing was a bit fast, but it could be understood by repeating it again. An example of a dramatic scene was when Ananda went to Ravana to deliver a message. He asked to release mother Sita, or face their wrath. The suspense of the story was not that bad. Some scenes didn’t work with the suspense and made it a bit awkward, but it didn’t stick that long. The movie was a bit vague and didn’t show the details in some scenes. With researching, I understood the movie more, and why some of their actions showed there. The effects of the movie were good. The design of the characters was a bit bad, but the animation makes it up for it. The movements were like a real person, though some of them are hybrids. The scene when Rama shot an arrow through the arm of the giant was not that believable. It looked like it was chopped off rather than pierced through by an arrow. I didn’t fully understand the purpose of the story but knew their situation.

The movie was interesting but in modern times, it will not become popular. If they remade it, sharpen the quality, maybe it could get up there. During my research, I read the summary of the movie, which made me much more drawn than the movie. The movie contains some comedy, but some are not that laughable, just appealing or convenient. In my opinion, this movie isn’t something I generally like, but it was interesting, to say the least. It isn’t my type, but if you have a ton of time, I won’t really recommend it unless you did all there is you could think of. If you don’t like it, I can’t really change your mind. I don’t have a deep connection to this story, and maybe I’ll never be if I don’t know any better. I would rather read the story, but watching it in a movie form is not that bad, though I still prefer reading. I am only stating my opinions and I don’t have any hatred towards Ramayana, but only a feeling of neutrality towards it. I am not meaning to offend anyone or attack anyone, I only made a forward opinion, an honest one. In conclusion, Ramayana is about an ideology of duties or responsibilities. Whether I recommend it or not, you can still try it and see it for yourself.