Om Raut’s directorial ‘Adipurush’ has been in discussion for a while now. The much-anticipated adaptation of the Hindu epic Ramayana, which stars Saif Ali Khan and Prabhas, has been in the news for controversies that have been stirred up. But the filmmaker is looking beyond the headlines.
“Ramayana has always had a strong influence since ages. I am depicting the ‘Parakrama’ (splendor and magnificence) side of Ram, which has had a great impact on me,” Raut stated.
Revealing that shooting for ‘Adipurush’ has given him a deeper impact in life, Raut expressed that shooting with stars like Prabhas and Khan has also been a great experience for him.
“I asked Prabhas to work on his body, as he will depict Rama, the archer. The archers have a typical body, which would need a good size of transformation from Prabhas. He did start working out,” Raut revealed.
“Prabhas is one of the nicest persons to work with. Apart from his work attitude, Prabhas brings home-cooked food on the sets. What I like about him is that he is always considerate of people on the sets, regardless of their stature,” Raut explained.
On being quizzed on why he preferred to cast Khan to essay the antagonist in ‘Adipurush’, Raut added: “I have had a great experience working with Saif. His intensity in the portrayal of his role in ‘Tanhaji’ has given me assurance that he could pull off this role with ease, as well.”
The movie is slated to hit the big screen on January 12, 2023 in a 3D format and features Khan as Lankesh while Kriti Sanon plays Janaki. The filmmaker, known for Ajay Devgn-starrer ‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’, announced in November last year that the team had finished shooting in 103 days.
‘Adipurush’ was initially slated to release on August 11 of this year, but the makers deferred the release to make way for Aamir Khan’s ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’, prompting the actor to put out a statement thanking them for their generosity.
The movie also landed its lead star Khan in legal trouble when in a media interview he claimed that “since Lakshman had cut off the nose of Ravan’s sister Surpnakha, it was justified that Ravan kidnapped Sita,” referencing the story of the Ramayana.
Khan also said in the interview that through this film, “the benevolent and humane side of Ravan will be projected”. The actor later apologised and withdrew his statement.
