Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana: Part 1 is a visual beast that rides on scale over storytelling

MUMBAI: Let’s get it straight — the film is titled Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana, and it finally makes sense. There were countless jokes and memes, taking a jibe at the producer’s excessive self-aggrandization. Many people probably don’t know the direction is by Nitesh Tiwari, the man who delivered one of the biggest global blockbusters from India – Dangal. But now, things have landed in place.

Ramayana: Part 1 is a visual beast of epic proportion — ambitious, uneven, but one gamble that entirely rides on its scale, the much-touted 4000 crore budget. The one that is more about soaring spectacle than searing storytelling. And it delivers. Almost.

There are no big surprises here. At its core, this is a heavily sentimental tale about sacrifice, brotherhood, duty, and karma. Working with an adaptation by Shridhar Raghavan and Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana: Part 1 initially grapples to hit the right note on an emotional level.

The first half particularly struggles to find a structure, trying to make sense of a tale of such epic proportions while tapping its emotional pulse. It’s not an easy task; the writers try, and the result is rousing in places, and uneven for the longest stretch.

There is not a single moment between Ram and Kaushalya that tells you about their bond. The scene between Bharat and Ram when the former comes to visit Ram during his vanvaas is too consciously muted. On its own, Ramayana: Part 1 constantly struggles to evoke emotions.