Actor Dipika Chikhlia, who famously played Sita in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, has expressed her disapproval of filmmakers creating different adaptations of the epic. In a recent interview, Chikhlia shared her thoughts on Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming Ramayana, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi, and voiced concerns about how such adaptations might “spoil the impact of what Ramayan is all about”.
The actor told India Today, “Honestly, I am quite disillusioned by people who keep making Ramayana because I don’t think you should be doing it. People are making a mess of it. I don’t think people should be making Ramayana again and again because every time they make it, they want to bring in something new; a new story, a new angle, a new look.”
She added, “One should not tamper around with religious texts. I don’t think one should be doing it and just leave it aside. Just don’t do this. There are so many stories that you can talk about besides Ramayana. Speak about a lot of freedom fighters. There’s so much that one can talk about; unsung heroes who were valiant in history for freedom. Why only Ramayana?”
Dipika Chikhlia took the example of Om Raut’s Adipurush, which was criticised for its portrayal of Hindu gods and goddesses, to explain her stance. “Like for Kriti Sanon, they gave her a pink coloured satin [saree in ‘Adipurush’]. They gave Saif [Ali Khan who played Ravana in ‘Adipurush’] a different look because they wanted to do something different, creatively. But then what you are doing is you’re spoiling that whole impact of what Ramayana is all about,” she said.
In an earlier chat with Zoom Entertainment, Nitesh Tiwari addressed the controversy surrounding his decision to take on Ramayana in the current climate, post-Adipurush controversy. He reassured that his film won’t offend anyone, saying, “My question is very simple. I am also a consumer of the content that I create and if I’m not going to offend myself than I’m very confident that I might not end up offending anybody else.”
While there is no official word on the production status of Tiwari’s Ramayana, it is reported that the film is being made on a massive budget of Rs 835 crore, making it the costliest Indian film of all time.
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