Facing all-around criticism for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus, the makers of the mythological epic film ‘Adipurush’ have made the decision to revise certain dialogues.
The film, starring Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, and Saif Ali Khan, has received backlash for its choice of dialogues, which were deemed as pedestrian and disrespectful.
In response to the outcry, the dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir Shukla said on Sunday that amendments will be made to the contentious lines in the coming week. The revisions aim to address the concerns raised by the audience and ensure a more respectful portrayal of the revered characters from the Ramayana.
“...For me, there is nothing greater than your feelings. I can give countless arguments in favour of my dialogues, but this will not lessen your pain. The producer and director of the film, along with me, have decided to revise some of the dialogues which are hurting you, and they will be added to the film this week,” Shukla stated in a statement shared on his official Twitter account.
Directed by Om Raut and produced by T-Series, the big-budget multilingual saga ‘Adipurush’ faced criticism on social media for its poor visual effects (VFX) and colloquial dialogues. Shukla, specifically, received backlash for the dialogues of Lord Hanuman in the ‘Lanka Dahan’ sequence, among others.
Numerous viewers and political party leaders highlighted the oversimplified language used by the characters, especially Bajrang (Hanuman) portrayed by Devdatta Nage.
In his statement, written in Hindi, Shukla acknowledged that it is possible that in a three-hour film, he may have written something that differs from the viewers’ imagination for just three minutes. However, he urged viewers not to hastily label him as a “Sanatan drohi” (one who disrespects the Hindu religion).
“The first lesson one can learn from Ramkatha is to respect every emotion. What is right or wrong changes with time, but the feeling is constant. I wrote more than 4,000 lines as dialogues in ‘Adipurush,’ and some sentiments got hurt by five of those lines. In those hundreds of lines where Shri Ram was glorified and Maa Sita’s chastity was described, I was hoping to receive praise for them, which I don’t know why I did not get,” Shukla added.
The writer-lyricist, who won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics in “Saina,” expressed that he holds no complaints against the audience.
“If we stand against each other, Sanatan will lose. We have made ‘Adipurush’ for Sanatan Seva; it’s a film that you are watching in large numbers, and I believe you will continue to watch it in the future,” he further stated.
Mounted on a reported budget of Rs 500 crore, “Adipurush” claimed to have raised Rs 140 crore on its release day, Friday, according to the makers