It was on this day (June 16) last year that 'Adipurush', the mythological action film, was released in theatres. The film saw Prabhas as Rama. Kriti Sanon, Saif Ali Khan, Sunny Singh and Devdatta Nage were seen as Sita, Ravana, Lakshamana and Hanuman, respectively.
While the film's first-weekend collections were mind-blowing, the Om Raut directorial didn't cover itself in glory. Online trolls relentlessly targeted it, and even scholars found aspects, particularly dialogue, unpalatable.
The unexpected intensity of reasoned criticism forced the filmmakers to scramble for damage control. The film's dialogue writer made it worse by claiming on television that 'Adipurush' wasn't a direct Ramayana adaptation, but a loosely inspired story. This sparked public outcry.
'Adipurush' would have been a historic blockbuster had director Om Raut been merely commonsensical if nothing else. The cultural significance of the source material offered a strong foundation for the film.
