Rahul Desai
Adipurish – Om Raut’s mythological drama based on the Ramayana – only dares to flex its imagination in Lanka. There are no rules. The (overcast) sky's the limit. The weather is graphic-novel-ish and moody; the dark clouds appear to be straight out of a Zack Snyder anti-flick.
Saif Ali Khan’s Ravana is where the party’s at. The actor does his trademark pulpy-evil bit, letting the film spread its wings and flaunt some of those expensive visual effects in his backyard.
The courage in Adipurish is its most boring element. You can also sense it in the stiff performances. Prabhas (as Raghava) seems to perpetually be running in slow-motion, even when he’s not. His dubbing is off, and his face stays inert even in the heat of physical battle.
Adipurish is not good-versus-evil so much as old-versus-new. Lankesh and his environment look like they’re from the future because, at some level, the film is about the triumph of tradition against modernity.
It acts as a message to newer generations that all the evolution in the world should not dilute the holy antiquity of storytelling. Unfortunately, this is also a film that needs cutting-edge technology to deliver said message. And in that sense, Adipurush defeats newness in every way possible.