Kartik Aaryan and Om Raut
The teaser of Om Raut’s Adipurush, the eagerly awaited revisionist interpretation of the Ramayana, has incensed netizens like seldom before. They are disappointed and angry with the way Rama conducts himself, the way Raavan looks, etc etc.
For me, Prabhas as Ram is hugely problematic. He is no doubt a huge star and has also shown his comfort level with a costume drama in the past. However, playing Ram is not about carrying the costumes well, holding the bow and arrow with confidence or even delivering the dialogue with imperious assurance, although this, I must admit, will be a big problem as Prabhas’ Hindi is majorly shaky.
He also lacks the glow, the life-force transmitting spark that no amount of special effects can generate. Prabhas is Ram after the glow is gone. Either you have it or you don’t.
Kartik Aaryan does. He effortlessly exudes a mix of boyish innocence and a ground level gravitas, the kind that comes from an uncorrupted soul. No other major Indian star has it. Until a few years ago, Ranbir Kapoor had the spark-in-the-dark quality. What was his Raj in Saawariya if not a Rama avatar? No more, though.
Ranveer Singh had that spark too. But then he decided to become Bollywood’s Elton John. The garish unaesthetic dress sense and then the clothes were taken off…there is no aura, no enigma left.
You won’t find Kartik Aaryan getting drunk in public and slurring over his stardom. So far, we’ve never seen him conduct himself without dignity in public places, never heard him make outrageous comments or being rude with fans. He is calm, poised and very careful with his public conduct.
I know it is too late now. But Kartik Aaryan is my choice for Ram. Some would argue that he looks too urban to play Ram. You will be surprised how much a haircut can do to an actor. As for the body language, put the actor in the right costume and that’s half the battle. I remember Dilip Kumar telling me once that the minute he put on the iron armour in Mughal-E-Azam, he felt like he was ready for battle.
As for the other Ram, Ranbir Kapoor is all set to play Maryada Purushottam. Even as director Om Raut prepares to release his own version of the Ramayana featuring Prabhas as Ram, Saif Ali Khan as Ravan and Kriti Sanon as Sita, there is confirmed information that producer Madhu Mantena’s trilogy based on the Ramayana has finally found its cast.
I can tell you with full certainty that Ranbir Kapoor has been penciled in to play Lord Ram while Hrithik Roshan will play Raavan. Talks are on with Deepika Padukone to play Sita. Interestingly, Hrithik had been roped in to play Ram in a screen adaptation of the Ramayana which his former father-in-law Sanjay Khan wanted to direct years ago.
What was Hrithik in Vikram Vedha if not a variation on Raavan?
Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.
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