Ramyug another disappointing entry into the mythological genre of Bollywood

One of the first things you notice about Kunal Kohlis Ramyug (the first episode of which recently aired on MX Player) is that hardly any exposed actor seems comfortable with the task at hand. Perhaps that’s because the task itself is ill-defined: with the gym torsos on display and the emphasis on special effects, Ramyug clearly wants to be a vaguely modernized narrative of Ramayana, a Game of thrones– tasty story, if you will.

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But no one told the writers that. The dialogue therefore does not betray any sign of this brief of modernization, there are no indirect references to contemporary times, nothing allusive, in fact. To his favorite, Game of thrones worked because the dialogue was ambitious and tried to make connections across eras and cultures. In the absence of such an ambition, a dialogue on period dramas must then aim at the authenticity specific to the period and, of course, the strength of characterization.

Unfortunately for Ramyug, the show fails on these two points. Ram (Diganth Manchale) and Sita (Aishwarya Ojha) are either supernaturally calm or terribly inclined to forget their lines, resulting in unusually long or not long enough pauses. And Raavan (Kabir Duhan Singh), despite having fun with his own heads spinning and questioning his movements, is ultimately too cartoonish to be taken seriously as a Big Bad. The heavy visual effects on green screen didn’t do much for me either. If they’re really looking to reach an audience that has devoured Game of thrones, Kohli and Co. will have to do a lot better than that, I’m afraid. Visual effects in magic sequences are still tolerable but combat visual effects are comedic and video-fun. Which is also surprising because it is not a cheap show in general: the scale of production is apparent.

Disappointing entry

Ramyug, then, is just another underwhelming entry into the mythological Bollywood genre (which was, let’s not forget, huge once upon a time). Graphic India and Hotstars animated show The legend of Hanuman (which premiered in January 2021) also suffers from below-average graphics and animation of at least five to six years behind international standards, frankly. Then there was the 2015 TV show Siya ke ram, on Star Plus; also cartoonish but at least had the saving grace of veteran actors like Grusha Kapoor and Dalip Tahil in supporting roles.

Why is it so difficult for Indian designers to match the popularity of Ramanand Sagars? Ramayan and BR Chopras Mahabharat? This is not for lack of eyeballs, as the reruns of these shows with their record statistics have proven. Nor is it for lack of intention, as several prominent Indian actors and directors have expressed interest in launching large, ambitious and expensive mythological projects.

Online trolls

The main problem is that with regard to the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, creators walk on eggshells. Say the wrong thing, or even the right thing the wrong way, and you will have FIRs and mighty states launched against you, not to mention a very dedicated army of trolls online. It also leads to a confused brain, which cannot decide whether to look into the philosophical and religious aspects of the texts themselves (this is where Raman and Sagars Ramayan shaken in his audiences). The alternative, of course, is to treat the story as a purely visual spectacle like the Baahubali films have done it successfully.

In fact, it may well be that it is Prabhas (the star of the Baahubali films) who is breaking the bad form plaguing the mythological genre. To be fair, he doesn’t have much to do as an actor, but he has the charisma and physique of a true blue action star. His next project, Adipurush, is a Ramayana adaptation: Prabhas plays Rama while Bollywood stars Kriti Sanon and Saif Ali Khan play Sita and Ravana respectively. As one of the most expensive films ever made in the country (the budget is estimated at over 500 crore), the success or failure of Adipurush could decide the appetite of Indian creators for the mythological genre.

Writer and journalist working on his first non-fiction book