Nitish Bharadwaj Says Hindu Gods Were Undermined In Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayan: This Would Have Been Blasphemy If It Was Done With Any Other Religion

(MENAFN- IANS) Mumbai, Nov 13 (IANS) Actor Nitish Bharadwaj, best known for playing Lord Krishna in the television series Mahabharat, has expressed his angst and disappointment over the portrayal of Hindu mythology in Ranbir Kapoor starrer Ramayan.

He has alleged that the narrative in the movie undermines Hindu gods and presents Ravan in a manner that purifies his villainy.

Taking to his social media account, Nitish Bharadwaj shared a series of slides criticising the film's approach to the character of Ravan and the concept of the avatar of Lord Ram.

He questioned the portrayal of Ravan as a liberal, communist or socialist leader and argued that such a treatment makes the need for Lord Vishnu to take human form as Ram redundant.

In the first slide, titled“RAVAN THE LUSTFUL MOLESTER”, Bharadwaj wrote,“Ravan was a known molester of even celestial Apsaras like Rambha and Vedavati, leave alone being courteous to a female Daasi.

Rambha, whom he molested, was like his daughter-in-law. Her husband Nala-Kubera had cursed Ravan that if he ever again forced himself on a woman, his head would be blown into pieces. It was not his goodness but this curse, which is why he could not force Sita Mata to marry him. We cannot ignore his lust for women. Hence, this film propagates a wrong narrative of Ravan as a 'Liberator'.”

In another slide titled“CONCEPT OF AVATAAR”, he wrote,“By showing Ravan as a liberal, communist/socialist leader, the film makes the basic need of Mahavishnu taking Avataar as Lord Ram redundant. Viewers think. A film is not only about great visuals & performances, but a wrong narrative also must be rejected, especially when the Hindu Gods are undermined & the villainy is wrongly purified. This would have been 'Blasphemy', if it was done with any other religion.”

The third slide, titled“SAVING GRACE”, highlighted what Nitish Bharadwaj felt worked in the film, mentioning Sheeba Chaddha's portrayal of Manthara and the film's production design.

Nitish Bharadwaj's comments come in the context of his long association with mythological characters on Indian television. His portrayal of Lord Krishna in BR Chopra's Mahabharat remains one of his most recognised performances which made him a household name. He later essayed mythological roles including Lord Vishnu and Lord Ram.

The actor has also worked in films including Njan Gandharvan, Mohenjo Daro and Kedarnath, apart from his Marathi directorial venture Pitruroon.

–IANS

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