On Thursday, the First Look of Ranbir Kapoor as Rama in Ramayana was unveiled. This was designed to coincide with the holy occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, and hence there was quite some hype around it. After all, though the title reveal of the film too had been done in cinemas at a grand scale, this is the first time when some true visuals from the film were also being readied for release.
The curiosity to catch this was of course unparalleled.
Well, the two and a half minutes long creative has been unveiled and as is the case with much awaited biggies that feature a superstar, the reactions are varied. While you get more than just a hint around what the scale of the film could potentially be, one also wonders whether this should possibly have been designed as a “check it out only in theaters” experience.
Reason being that there are genuinely many moments in this unveil which are goosebumps inducing. That’s primarily due to the BGM where maestros Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman are coming together. You look for something that’s truly out of the world and it’s something which is indeed the case here. The sheer effect which is created has an inter-planetary feel to it and you can sense that in theatres it’s going to be magical.
On the other hand the way the visuals are stitched together, at places you believe the pacing could have been much more rapid. In fact there is a point towards the latter half of the teaser where emotional high reaches its crescendo, especially with the fleeting glimpse of Yash as Ravana (albeit just his back). However the way it all concludes, it comes across as a bit too sudden. One wonders if tighter editing could have made it a more fulfilling experience.
Very importantly, you also feel that since the film has been shot for IMAX, its best experience would be felt only at the premium theatrical format. It’s no less than a crime to actually catch anything related to this Namit Malhotra and Nitesh Tiwari on a mobile or an iPad (I am guilty of that as well), as the audio-visual appeal warrants at least a large TV screen viewing, if not a home theatre or cinema.
Even my opinion changed considerably when I watched this at my home theatre and frankly, it made for a far more immersive experience. Could it turn out to be far getter at a theatre, especially IMAX? The answer is a definite yes. However, till then should one be dismissive about what Ramayana could end up being on its Diwali release? Again, most definitely no.
I truly believe that it’s way too soon to form an opinion about what Ramayana could potentially be. After all, this is a film which is currently work in progress, and with more than six months to go for its release, so much more would be unveiled with audiences being readied to check out the final product in theaters. Moreover, with Ranbir Kapoor leading the show, Yash as the antagonist and Sunny Deol as Hanuman, rest assured there are so many surprises waiting to be unleashed.
Till then, let’s hold on to our horses, and just hope and pray that Ramayana carries forward the box office juggernaut that audiences have now got used to in the last few months.
