The much-hyped film Adipurush is finally here. The teaser was widely panned but the trailer helped improve the perception about the film. Hence, the expectations from the film have been tremendous. Sadly, Adipurush fails to deliver.
The story of the movie: Raghav (Prabhas) is married to Janki (Kriti Sanon). Raghav is the prince of Ayodhya but is compelled to live in the forest for 14 years. Janki also accompanies him and so does his brother Shesh (Sunny Singh). One day, Shurpankha (Tejaswini Pandit) spots Raghav and falls for him. She asks him to marry her. Raghav respectfully declines and informs her that he’s already married. An enraged Shurpankha tries to harm Janki. In retaliation, Shesh assaults Shurpankha and injures her nose. Shurpankha’s brother Lankesh (Saif Ali Khan), the king of Lanka, decides to avenge the humiliation. He kidnaps Janki. Raghav joins hands with Sugriva (voiced by Gaurrav Walia) and Lord Bajrang (Devdatta G Nage) as he attempts to rescue Janki.
Adipurush starts on a lovely note. The opening credits beautifully depict how Raghav and Janki met and why they had to reside in the forest. Even the entry of Lankesh is impactful. But the entry sequence of Raghav is problematic. The first half is also lengthier (1 hour 39 minutes) than the second half. Yet, the first half has some notable moments that keep the interest going like Janki’s kidnap, Raghav meeting Shabari, Bajrang’s entry, Sugriva winning back his empire and the intermission point. Post-interval, things fall once again. The scene where Bajrang lifts a mountain to save Shesh’s life is hardly 1 or 2 minutes long. But the not-so-exciting war sequence goes on and on, making one restless. The film fails to end on a high.
Speaking of performances, Prabhas adds to the star presence of the film but doesn’t impress. He is expressionless in most scenes. The energetic and enigmatic Prabhas that one saw and adored in Baahubali is missing here. Kriti Sanon is strictly okay. Saif Ali Khan looks like an evil villain but his performance is more like a caricature. The scene where he develops ten heads doesn’t induce fear or awe. Sunny Singh is decent. Devdatta G Nage does fine but one expected more from his role. He’s letdown by the dialogues. Siddharth Kiran Karnick (Vibhishan) leaves a mark. Vatsal Seth (Indrajit), Tejaswini Pandit and Ayesha Madhukar (Maya) are passable. Sonal Chauhan (Mandodari) is wasted.
Ajay-Atul‘s music uplifts the film to some extent. ‘Jai Shri Ram’ adds to the excitement in some scenes. ‘Ram Siya Ram’ (by Sachet-Parampara) is soulful. ‘Shivoham’ is well thought of. ‘Tu Hai Sheetal Dhaara’ is fair. ‘Huppa Huiya’ is missing from the film. Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara‘s background score is exhilarating.
Karthik Palani‘s cinematography is quite good. Nachiket Barve‘s costumes are appealing. Priya Suhass and Nishant Jogdand‘s production design doesn’t have a desi touch. This is especially in the scenes of Lanka, which give a déjà vu of films like The Lord Of The Rings. Ramazan Bulut and Pradyumna Kumar Swain‘s action is passable. VFX is a mixed bag. It’s praiseworthy in some scenes but in several scenes, it fails to entice or leave you awestruck. Ashish Mhatre and Apurva Motiwale Sahai‘s editing is weak. The second half should have been shorter by 15 minutes.
Om Raut‘s adapted story is promising and has all the trappings of a blockbuster. Om Raut‘s screenplay is not upto the mark but still has the potential. Manoj Muntashir Shukla‘s dialogues are in very bad taste. In an attempt to make the dialogues sound contemporary and modern, he ended up writing one-liners that don’t fit the era depicted in the film.
Om Raut‘s direction leaves a lot to be desired. It’s clear in some scenes that he is a fine storyteller and can handle the grandeur. But his overall execution suffers due to the performances and VFX. Moreover, the TV show ‘Ramayan’ is deeply etched in the minds of people. Some of the important moments, meanwhile, are interpreted differently here and it’s sure to raise eyebrows and also hamper impact. Lastly, the finale war is too long and will make viewers restless.
On the whole, Adipurush‘s strong points are the songs and a few clapworthy scenes. However due to the long length, poor performances, tapori-type dialogues and a weak and dragging second half, the film turns out to be disappointing. A loss of a golden opportunity!
My rating – ** out of 5!