Prabhas’s much-awaited movie Adipurush failed to impress critics despite its enormous budget of Rs 500 crore and hype. The mythological drama, which is based on epic tale Ramayana, features Prabhas as Lord Ram and Kriti Sanon as Janaki, Sunny Singh as Lakshman, Devdatta Nage as Hanuman, and Saif Ali Khan as the antagonist Ravana.
Though the actors were praised for their performances, the film was criticised for its VFX and dialogues, which proved to be significant drawbacks.
Hailed as one of the most expensive Indian films ever produced, the subpar CGI work and dull visual effects made the movie feel like a half-hearted attempt at bringing this epic tale to life.
Movie critic Taran Adarsh tweeted: “Disappointing. Rating: One and a half stars. Adipurush is an Epic disappointment… Just doesn’t meet the mammoth expectations… Director Om Raut had a dream cast and a massive budget on hand, but creates a Huge Mess.”
Earlier, Adarsh had said that Ramayan's modern-day interpretation is important to him rather than the actors and VFX.
“For me, the most important thing is not Prabhas, Kriti Sanon or Saif Ali Khan. For me, it is Ramayan, and it is a very strong emotion. Everything else is secondary,” he stated while agreeing that many Indians watching the film will resonate with his emotion.”
Film critic Vishwajit Patil wrote, "#AdipurushReview: Disappointed. #Adipurush is a king-sized disappointment… BAD VFX, low on content [first half nosedives]… #Adipurush could’ve been a game changer, but, alas, it’s a missed opportunity… All gloss, no soul. #Prabhas worst performance."
However, film trade analyst Sumit Kadel said Adipurush is a stellar exhibition of Ramayana in its fully glory and sanctity. "Director @omraut created a spectacle with Top Notch Visual [Some VFX portions look tacky] fronted by elevation scenes which’ll garner electrifying response from the audiences," he tweeted.
In terms of acting, Prabhas as Lord Ram performed well and fit perfectly in the lead role and his charisma outweighed everything else, said critics. Kriti Sanon has less screen time as Janaki, but she makes her presence felt.
Siddharth Kannan tweeted Kriti Sanon’s portrayal of Janaki in Adipurush is pure and played to perfection.
“@kritisanon's portrayal of #Janaki in #Adipurush is pure and played to perfection. How beautifully #KritiSanon balances authenticity with an ethereal charm that catches attention,” said Kanan.
Raavan’s depiction in the movie didn’t impress the critics. Despite Khan’s best attempts, Om Raut’s portrayal of Raavana as a superhero villain falls to impress the fans.
Fans too criticised ‘cringeworthy’ dialogues in Adipurush. Dialogues, which were written to cater to the modern-day audience, were a major setback especially when you hear Lord Bajrangbali say, “Jo hamari behno ko hath lagayenge, unki lanka laga denge”.
A Twitter user said, "Encourage children to explore authentic sources through books, storytelling or animated films that represents accurate character representation. These will provide understanding of cultural significance associated with Ramayana. Adipurush may not be the ideal Ramayana adaptation for children. It is important for parents to clarify that it's just a regular film with impressive visuals."
Massive opening
After its advance bookings opened on Sunday, the film did a business of Rs 12 crore. The national theatre chain PVR sold over one lakh tickets in the Hindi market itself and trade analysts are expecting a huge opening at the ticket counters across the country.
Earlier in the day, critics said the film might break records at the box office and may make an opening collection of Rs 40 to Rs 50 crore on Day 1.
Producer and film business expert Girish Johar said he expects the film to open huge - the hype around the film is combined with the fact that the film will release on more than 4,000 screens across all languages in India. "The audience has liked the new and revised trailer. It is based on our legendary epic Ramayan. It is a family outing, I am expecting a huge opening that may be ranging between Rs 45 and Rs 50 crore (or perhaps more) for all languages combined."
In the end, despite its inflated budget and ambitious intentions, the epic movie majorly fails when it comes to execution.
On Friday, PVR's stock price declined over 3 per cent in wake of the bad reviews for Adipurush