Veteran actress Dipika Chikhlia, who played the role of Sita in Ramanand Sagar's iconic Ramayan television series, has voiced her opposition to the upcoming Lord Rama film starring Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi. Chikhlia cited the recent controversies surrounding Adipurush as her reason for disapproving of the new movie project.
Adipurush, a big-budget adaptation of the Ramayana directed by Om Raut, sparked outrage among some Hindu groups for its controversial portrayal of mythological characters and dialogues. The film drew flak for allegedly depicting Ramayana's revered characters insensitively through characters like Saif Ali Khan's Raavana.
Speaking to the media, Chikhlia stated, "They gave the role of Raavana to Saif Ali Khan in Adipurush. Firstly, did not like the casting, and secondly, the dialogues were not up to the mark. The basic soul of Ramayana was missing."
The veteran actress firmly believes that mythological films and shows should maintain faithfulness to the sacred texts and showcase Hindu culture and traditions accurately without hurting sentiments.
"If you make a mythology, you cannot tamper with it. It should be as per the Sanskrit editions. If you want to make fiction, make it completely different, but don't hurt the sentiments of people by tweaking the characters and making them say weird things," Chikhlia asserted.
She expressed skepticism about the Ranbir-Sai Pallavi film, worrying it may also misrepresent the Ramayan and its characters like Adipurush allegedly did. "I don't know how the makers will picture Lord Rama's role, but looking at the Adipurush controversy, I feel people should not tamper with mythology," she declared.
The Ramayan actress emphasized that Rama should be portrayed with utmost reverence as he is worshipped as the highest ideals of righteousness and virtues by millions. She urged the makers to avoid any distortion or creative liberties that could offend religious sentiments.
As debates continue around cinematic depictions of Hindu mythology, voices like Chikhlia's underline the delicate balance filmmakers need to maintain between artistic vision and authentic representation of revered texts and figures.