Movies based on the Hindu epics and stories?

[Jainarayan]

I was thinking about how I have never seen of or heard of any movie made in the west adapted from any of the Hindu epics or stories. Any particular reason why not? I would love to see the stories brought to life as long as they weren't exploitations, didn't mangle the stories and did it respectfully.

We have no shortage of movies about the Greek gods and heroes (Clash of the Titans; 300; Jason and the Argonauts; Hercules); Norse and Anglo-Saxon stories (Beowulf; Thor; King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table); not to mention a never-ending supply of biblical epics.

If a Hollywood filmaker decided to make a film adaptation of the Ramayana or the Mahabharata, or portions of a Purana, for example, does anyone think it could be done tastefully and respectfully, and as true to the epic(s) as possible, with the technical assistance of Hindu scholars, of course?

There was an episode of Xena, Warrior Princess called The Way, set in India. Sri Krishna and Sri Hanuman figured prominently. If I remember it correctly part of it involved Sri Krishna giving advice to Xena on her dharma, similar as He did with Arjuna. Xena battled a demon who defeated her, but she was incarnated as Maa Kali, who then defeated the demon. There were mixed feelings and reviews from the Hindu community about it. I wonder how a movie adaptation would be received.

[Mana]

Namasté TouchedbytheLord,

Maybe this is your calling; time for a screenplay adaptation?
I should be interested to hear what you thought of the film Avatar?

praNAma

mana

[Ananda]

Hello TouchedbytheLord,


There was actually a western play and film adaption of the Mahabharata by Peter Brooks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mahabharata_(1989_film)

The film featured a mostly non-Indian cast of actors which often came across as being clunky due to the large varieties of conflicting accents being spoken in english. Also, despite its large length (about 5 hours long), it does come across as being rather low budget and small in scale. It would be nice, however, to see a truly large scale adaption deserving of the source material.



:)

[sanjaya]

Yeah, I think we had a discussion about this awhile ago.

Actually there are a lot of Indian-made movies about Hindu epics. Once when I was on an observing shift, one of my friends from another university, who's from India, was there. When we weren't actually working, we spent the time watching the Mahabharata movie on YouTube. I actually got through a considerable part of it.

It's a fun diversion and all. But the problem with Indian movies is that Indians are horrible at it. I don't know, maybe it's just that we're more left-brained in general. Or maybe it's just that cinema is an essentially Western art form. But I don't think that Indian renditions of the Hindu epics do them any justice. It would be most interesting to see a Hollywood take on this.

[Jainarayan]

Namaste all.


Namasté TouchedbytheLord,

Maybe this is your calling; time for a screenplay adaptation?
I should be interested to hear what you thought of the film Avatar?

praNAma

mana

I thought Avatar was pretty good, though I'm not wild about the word 'avatar' being thrown around as fast and loose as it is. It's amazing what can be done with digital effects now. Look at The Lord of the Rings, and that was > 10 years ago.


Hello TouchedbytheLord,


There was actually a western play and film adaption of the Mahabharata by Peter Brooks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mahabharata_(1989_film)

The film featured a mostly non-Indian cast of actors which often came across as being clunky due to the large varieties of conflicting accents being spoken in english. Also, despite its large length (about 5 hours long), it does come across as being rather low budget and small in scale. It would be nice, however, to see a truly large scale adaption deserving of the source material.



:)

I'll read up on it. Thanks for the link.

It's a shame that it came across that cheesy. Now accents are taught by coaches. If you watch Law & Order, Mike Cutter the Asst. DA is Linus Roache who is English. He does a great accent (sounds New Jersey).

Brad Dourif was so good at his accent as Grima in LotR, that Bernard Hill (Theoden) asked Dourif what part of England he was from. Hill was completely blown away when Dourif said he was American.

With make up, digital effects and voice coaching, I'll bet a re-make would be superb.


But I don't think that Indian renditions of the Hindu epics do them any justice. It would be most interesting to see a Hollywood take on this.

Yes, that's my point. I know the Indian cinema industry cranks out movies even faster than Hollywood. I hear they are usually beyond cheesy, sort of in the same category as western Grade B "bug eyed monster" movies. I could be wrong on that, though.

[Jainarayan]

Namaste all.

I found this series http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHYcjmPE0cw&feature=relmfu This is episode 74. I can't believe the quality of the video. I hope I can find the series on dvd. I'm not sure if they are using Sanskrit or Hindi (I suspect Hindi because it was a TV series?), but amazement of amazements, I could pick out a few words (while the subtitles displayed, of course) and how they were inflected.

At 22:50 Krishna gives Arjuna divine vision to see Krishna's Universal Form, and at 24:00 begins to show His Universal Form. I got goosebumps!

[Sahasranama]

Traditionally, the stories from the itihasas and puranas have always been casted out in theatrical form, even before the Greeks who are credited by eurocentric imbiciles to have invented almost everything. The Natya Shastra of sage Bharata deals with the performing arts like theatre, dance and music. This wisdom was imparted by lord Shiva to humanity through the sound of the damaru and the tandava dance which was witnessed by the rishis and devas. The display of leela was done with religious reverence. The disastrous display of the Ramayana in "Sita sings the blues" was caused by Nina Paley's attempt to blend greco-dramatic elements (i.e. whining and bitching) into the sacred lore of ancient India. In the early days, Hindu religious movies were more like filmed theatre. People would go to the cinema and remove their shoes at the doors before sitting down and taking part of this event just like a form of satsang. One of the most excellent productions of bhakti films in my opinion was that of Bhakta Prahlada in Telugu which was also dubbed in other Indian languages. Also, the production of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata have brought many people closer to the Hindu cultural heritage. Of course, watching movies is not enough to fully understand the epics, one needs to read them thoroughly over and over again or listen to their recitation. Unfortunately, the newer productions of the sacred stories of our devatas, ancient rishis and forefathers are being produced in the most infantile manner. I am not against the use of modern technology, but in this day of instant entertainment, the religious elements are being swapped for flashing animations. If this goes on, the next generation will not be able to tell the diference between the Ramayana, Mahabharata or The Smurfs.

[Believer]

.....Greeks who are credited by eurocentric imbiciles to have invented almost everything.....
Welcome back Sahas ;)

[TatTvamAsi]

Although theater and drama existed for millenia in India, modern movies with special effects and graphics based on Hindu lore are sorely lacking.

There are a few animated films that came out but they were almost always targeted towards children.

1.) Ramayana: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs03zXUUURs
2.) Arjun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-EezcpFzVI

A Mahabharat or Ramayana movie with graphics like Avatar would be a miracle. The problem is that the budgets needed for such large scale productions are hardly there in India and those who have such funds are busy funding their palaces and private jets and don't care too much for the welfare of Hindus; at least so it seems.

The other things is that if the movies were made authentically (in Sanskrit), there would need to be subtitles and that would mean many people who can't read can't watch the movie. So it would have to be made in all the local languages. It is a gargantuan task but well worth it.

I will make these movies one day. :)

[Arjuni]

Namasté,

Some excellent points already made. I'll add a few more thoughts.

Unless a filmmaker is crafting an abstract or surrealist film, there are generally three elements that allow the audience to believe in the story being told: convincing settings, skilled performances, and a tight storyline. Any film based on the Hindu epics and stories faces challenges with all three.

There are different versions of some stories, and their interpretation may differ according to the beliefs of each person. Intensive research is needed to sift through the copious literature and decide which texts to use, how to interpret them, and which parts, if any, must be omitted or shortened for the sake of time. To give an example, my favourite serial was nine years of research in the making, according to interviews. I can't imagine, say, the Transformers movie with that sort of time frame. I also can't imagine a Western studio willing to put in that sort of time or even able to find enough scholars/experts who are both interested in a Hollywood film of the story and willing to work hard in support of the result.

The elabourate film versions of traditional jewellery, costumes, and settings, which are usually royal or divine in these tales, are incredibly lavish and expected to be so. (I stopped an Indian DVD once, just for fun, and started counting the rows of beadwork on a single character's costume. I stopped at thirty-four only because I was impatient to resume the story.) Even with the cheapest paste materials, all of that fanciful decoration needs people to create and organise, and I can only imagine the artistry required for even the simplest set. There is also the need for special effects - a requirement in the epics and stories full of fantastic events. So, again, more research, into history, clothing, and setting, and appearance presents another multifaceted problem.

And then there's the acting. Sahasranama points out that the performing arts are very ancient in India, and music, dance, and song are all expected to be high-quality in Indian films, sometimes harshly criticised if lacklustre. That means attracting gifted artists to participate, who must be convincing on multiple levels, and who in Hollywood will be willing to search for performers fluent in Indian languages and trained in Indian arts, when many thousands of Western actors are beating down their doors for jobs?

Anyway, all of these factors require money, and where does a filmmaker cut costs? My own instinct would be to focus on the performances foremost, since even the most visually-stunning movie is just pitiful if the characters act like animated planks of wood. Yet it would be wonderful to see a Hindu film full of cutting-edge effects, too, and TatTvamAsi makes a good point - that the really excellent stuff (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_QEddp_e0A) in India often suffers from lack of budget. And Hollywood these days is a money machine with huge profits to be made. There would be few filmmakers willing to tackle the epics, I think, and take the time and trouble to truly understand the tales and produce something beautiful and profound instead of a flat summer blockbuster.

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

[Jainarayan]

Namaste Indraneela et al.

Budget is definitely a concern, though digital graphics are becoming easier and cheaper to produce. On the other hand, how much of a scriptural epic do we want to be digitized?

If this entire series is anything like the episode I watched http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHYcjmPE0cw&list=PLEC3716D9C460D4E4&index=74 mentioned above, I can't believe the effort and cost that must have gone into the production.

In this series's episode 74, the only part that was digitized was Sri Krishna showing His Universal Form. It would be great if a movie were produced with this quality. The producers, B.R. and Ravi Chopra either had deep pockets or very willing investors.

TTA says
I will make these movies one day. :)

I'll be waiting. :)

Btw, this is only a small shot I captured. YT vids are sometimes hard to nail right down to one frame.

[TatTvamAsi]

Namaste Indraneela et al.

Budget is definitely a concern, though digital graphics are becoming easier and cheaper to produce. On the other hand, how much of a scriptural epic do we want to be digitized?

That's something I've thought about as well. Since we have mega-movies like Avatar that combine real-life actors with CG and incredible graphics, I think that would be the best method for these stories; since there is a lot more we can do with CG than with real-life "effects" (BrahmAstrA etc.).

King Kong by Peter Jackson (of LoTR fame) also did excellent work in that movie (the 2 T-Rex vs. King Kong was awesome).

Ramayana and Mahabharatha along those lines would just be epic, pun intended!


If this entire series is anything like the episode I watched http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHYcjmPE0cw&list=PLEC3716D9C460D4E4&index=74 mentioned above, I can't believe the effort and cost that must have gone into the production.

Yes, that is one of the greatest moments of Indian television. I remember my father telling me that in the 1980s, when that aired, the entire country would pause to watch it! Even Parliamentary sessions were postponed to watch the Mahabharath on TV as it was so well done (for that time). It is unfortunate they didn't record statistics of how many people watched/heard that show as that would trump everything in the history of television viewership (several hundred million people watching = $$$$$).

Any director/producer in India who does a large scale production of these epics nowadays would be branded as "communal" and "Hindutva". :rolleyes: The current government in India is the most anti-Hindu government ever to have been elected to office. If you haven't noticed, Hindus like being spat upon and kicked when down. It is a civilizational cuckolding of mega proportions and Hindus themselves don't see it! Ah, the irony. And so, Hindus abroad will have to take up the mantle and make these movies and show it to the world. Now, to find that $300+ million funding for the movies... hmm.. :)


In this series's episode 74, the only part that was digitized was Sri Krishna showing His Universal Form. It would be great if a movie were produced with this quality. The producers, B.R. and Ravi Chopra either had deep pockets or very willing investors.

Yes, the quality was indeed great for that time but you also have to keep in mind that Indian society, at least the urban middle class, has changed drastically in the last ~25 years. You can clearly tell by comparing the Bollywood movies from the 1980s to the ones now. There is a serious decline in Indian cultural values displayed on-screen. There needs to be some ingenious method of attracting the youth of today to watch these movies and the only way to do that, I think, is to start the initiative outside of India and have such high production quality (like King Kong/Avatar) with graphics/special effects that it would attract even the most disinterested person (in religion) to watch them!

Here is a good example of Indian/Hollywood collaboration of a modern movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcGgMCFmDIo

One of these epics in authentic Sanskrit would be entertaining, educational, and just inspirational for millions of Hindus around the world!

[Jainarayan]

It ain't only Bollywood that's cranking out "garbage" movies. If you compare the quality of Hollywood movies from the 1940s and 1950s, and the caliber of movie stars today, there is no comparison. Suer, the major HW studios of the day were out to make money, but film making was an art form. I can see it no different in India. Crank out the movies, put them on Blu-Ray, and follow the money.

I agree about attracting a new audience. It would be secondary that people come to realize these are religious works. If there's any element of "fantasy" or "mythology" (I hate to use those words, but you get the idea) and digital spectacle, people are hooked. Clash of the Titans!? :doh:It wasn't even fun... at least Avatar was fun.

I think if Mahabharat was dubbed into English and presented to the American market, it may have done very well. OK, it ran some 71 hours, but minseries like Shogun, North & South, Roots, Centennial, How the West Was Won, et al. had audiences riveted.

And I think there would be the chance to show how opulent and grand Indian history is, that it's not just snake charmers and Hindu rope climbers. :rolleyes:

[Arjuni]

Namasté,

Peter Brooks' adaptation of Mahābhārata was discussed above in this thread. I forgot to mention one small detail in my earlier post: the cast for that film was deliberately taken from many countries. Brooks hoped to illustrate that this epic was for all the world, for all time, and thought that having a multi-national ensemble would help make that point.

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

[Adhvagat]

Yes, that is one of the greatest moments of Indian television. I remember my father telling me that in the 1980s, when that aired, the entire country would pause to watch it! Even Parliamentary sessions were postponed to watch the Mahabharath on TV as it was so well done (for that time). It is unfortunate they didn't record statistics of how many people watched/heard that show as that would trump everything in the history of television viewership (several hundred million people watching = $$$$$).

Any director/producer in India who does a large scale production of these epics nowadays would be branded as "communal" and "Hindutva". :rolleyes: The current government in India is the most anti-Hindu government ever to have been elected to office. If you haven't noticed, Hindus like being spat upon and kicked when down. It is a civilizational cuckolding of mega proportions and Hindus themselves don't see it! Ah, the irony. And so, Hindus abroad will have to take up the mantle and make these movies and show it to the world. Now, to find that $300+ million funding for the movies... hmm.. :)

TTA, you can count me in on that initiative, the financial side of things is not my specialty but I'm using my time to specialize on the artistic aspect of filmmaking that I chersih so much.

Bear in mind that CGI heavy films are being done with budgets as low as $30 million dollars (District 9), imagine 10 years from now, perhaps $30 million dollars would be enough for an epic!

I have this desire deep inside of me whenever I read the richness (spiritual and philosophical) of the Hindu lore, I can immediately picture it being represented in its deserved glory. Well, if we consider the big picture of the entertainment industry as of now, big CGI intensive movies are suffering greatly from very poor stories, perhaps it's still not the time for a complex and expensive art such as cinema to pay homage to the devas.

A possible start would be the exploring of the key aspects of the Hindu lore (cosmology, view of subtle life, devas, philosophical observations) by creative young writers in order to introduce these elements even on present time narrative, c'mon, we have chiranjivis, shambhala, inner and outer planes, siddhis, astras and list goes on. It's awesome! :)

[Obelisk]

Namaste,

Excellent points have been made in here. :) A proper modern adaptation of these epics with state-of-the-art CGI would real dream come true for me too. But the important thing is that the filmmakers should also know about the source material deeply and be passionate about it, not just another cash-cow with flashy effects to churn out during the summer (*cough* Michael Bay *cough*). I think that's what made a major difference between the LoTR and Harry Potter movies - even though both had awesome visual effects, in case of the former the entire crew was composed of die-hard fans of Tolkien's novels and that's why despite the changes during the adaptation from book to screen, the movies retained many rich details of the story that the HP movies often lacked.

Given that our Hindu epics go much beyond these examples, I think we need an even more talented team behind their making. I would so LOVE to see the battle of Lanka with dazzling CGI to rival LoTR, or to see Lord Narasimha rendered as majestically as Aslan from the Narnia movies (not just a guy wearing a lion mask! :p), but a careful, properly researched adaptation of the source material, keeping the essence of its spiritual message intact, is also equally important. Sadly I don't see such an adaptation coming from Bollywood anytime soon, because even leaving aside all other factors, the chances of any movie without at least 5 sequences of everyone breaking into street dance (coupled with two remixes of each of those) doing well at the box office are pretty slim over here. ;)

After the success of the animated Hanuman movie over here (a pretty cool one, I think), we've had a plethora of others on either Him or Lord Ganesha, Rama or Krishna, but I don't think they came close. My favourite animated adaptation so far has been the Japanese one of Ramayana, even though it deviated quite a bit from the original epic. I'm much more in favour of an experienced Western, or perhaps Indian-born, director who is genuinely interested in these epics and their underlying spiritual/philosophical base, taking them up with a cast of preferably Indian actors (including new talented ones, not the regular Bolly faces). And rope in experienced people for the additional research, cinematography and score as well.

I was originally thinking of the Wachowski Brothers (of Matrix fame), but I wasn't too impressed by what they did in the second and third films. I'd probably have considered M Night Shyamalan had it not been for his recent disastrous entries. :o

[Arjuni]

Namasté,

Obelisk, a Japanese adaptation of Rāmāyaṇa? I don't think I have heard of this; could you give details?

This thread reminds me of a long-held wish in the "movies based on epics" category: once, just once, I want to see the Indra-Vṛtra battle in film! And preferably not by the sort of Hollywood studio that would make the slaying scene last two minutes, after two hours of romantic drivel and comedic mishaps, with Orlando Bloom cast as Indra. :p

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

[Obelisk]

Namaste Indraneela,

Here it is - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyETrOnLDdU

It's titled "Ramayana: Legend Of Prince Ram" and was released in 1992. Deviates quite a bit from the original but the animation is superb. :)

[Jodhaa]

After reading the Ramayana one of the first things I did was search for a film version of it. I thought "There's no way this hasn't been done."

But it hadn't. At least not well.

Many fine points about the obstacles facing book-to-film adaptations have been made. But it's something I'm hoping for myself.

But as much as CGI would be needed to complete the Epics, I still hold a special place in my heart for real, crafted effects (Puppets, painted backgrounds, costuming and makup)

Sometimes CGI just lacks heart. I know it's not there, so it feels less real. A puppet (or animatronic) may not move as seamlessly, but there is a realness to it that I appreciate.

I'd like to see Guillermo del Toro (of "Pan's Labyrinth" fame) direct one of the Epics. Get the art directors from Lord of the rings and Pan's Labyrinth on it too! ;) It's nice to dream.

[ShivaFan]

Namaste

Not sure if anyone mentioned, but there was an Anime movie joint Japanese and English called The Prince of Light - The Legend of Ramayana (movie).

The synopsis is Plot Summary: Ravan, the evil king of Lanka, begins a reign of terror, conquering and pillaging the neighboring kingdoms. Desperate to stop Ravan's army, good King Dasharatha sends his eldest sons, Ram and Lakshman, on a mission to face Ravan's forces.

Here is a link to It's production:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=7792

That definetly would be the movie I would produce- the Ramayana.

Om Namah Sivaya


http://www.garoo9.com/elevator-kart/EK_files/movies/ramayan_snapshots.jpg

[Priti.7]

Pranam,

Jainarayan, I think that the reason there are not noticably any HOllywood movies based on Indian stories is mainly political, if I may be so bold. Hollywood is American, and America is the West. West = Christian, and the West loves to claim that Greece is apart of the West and Western History. If you speak to Greeks who reside in Greece you will find that historically they do not typically consider themselves Westerners, rather quite the opposite. They are more Eastern if one considers carefully their history and geographical position. Hollywood and America love to make movies about Greek Gods/ stories because they have no ancient history of their own- they are colonizers, conquestors and imperialists occupying American Indian land. So they try to identify with Greek history and mythology to show it as their own legacy if you like, and they appropriate it for political reasons ( so they think of themselves as righteous and God-chosen Americans saving the whole world, just like the Ancient Greeks). I am yet to see a great movie made by Hollywood that even closely resembles Greek history or mythology...do not be fooled, these movies are not authentic in more ways than one. I'm part Greek so I should know.
Why not appeal to Bollywood to remake Indian stories into film more often? After all Bollywood is the largest film industry in the world, and I prefer it to Hollywood anyday.

[Jodhaa]

Why not appeal to Bollywood to remake Indian stories into film more often? After all Bollywood is the largest film industry in the world, and I prefer it to Hollywood anyday.


Namaste, Priti!

I agree. Hollywood would likely misinterpret the Indian epics or leave entire episodes out.

I have seen mostly disfavor on the forums towards Bollywood - but as an American used to American cinema...I actually really love Bollywood films for the most part. Sure, they can be campy as all get out, but I appreciate how uplifting and fun they can be.

Now, obviously "camp" probably isn't what you want in a remake of an India epic. However, there are also very high quality historical films out of India. The budgets are still low compared to Hollywood films, but I think in the next 5-10 year, the Indian film industry will definitely have the financial resources to fund an Epic film of high quality.

[Jainarayan]

Namaste.


I am yet to see a great movie made by Hollywood that even closely resembles Greek history or mythology...do not be fooled, these movies are not authentic in more ways than one. I'm part Greek so I should know.

Yes, I know... I agree. That's why I said Clash of the Titans was not even fun. The original with Harry Hamlin and Judy Bowker was better, even as cheesy as that was. Jason and the Argonauts (the original movie with Todd Armstrong and Nancy Kovack, not the made-for-tv garbage version) came close to the old stories I read. At least that featured well-known and accomplished actors (Honor Blackman for one).

The Hercules movies, whether with Steve Reeves, Reg Park, Dan Vadis and the others no more resembled Greek mythology than I'm the Tsar of Russia. Most of them are beyond "artistic license" and just plain bastardizations.

[Viraja]

Why not appeal to Bollywood to remake Indian stories into film more often? After all Bollywood is the largest film industry in the world, and I prefer it to Hollywood anyday.

The TV Serial 'Shivam' is a big hit... it does a WONDERFUL JOB of portraying Lord Shiva's purana. I think it will serve the purpose if all great epics of the land of Mother India could be televised as such and broadcast all over India.

[R Gitananda]

Robert Redford produced and directed a film that was released in 2000 called The Legend of Bagger Vance. The film stars Will Smith, Matt Damon and Charlize Theron. It was about a golfer named R. Junuh who was struggling with his game at a seminal moment of his life. Out of nowhere a mysterious dark stranger named Bagger Vance appeared to help him. The main moment of the film when R. Junuh at a critical moment of the most important round of golf in his life was overcome with emotion and threw down his clubs and collapsed at the feet of Bagger Vance (his caddy) and told him: "I will not play." Bagger Vance told him that he should pick up his clubs and do his duty without attachment to the result - for that was the way of perfection. R. Junuh finished his 18 holes of golf but found that Bagger Vance had disappeared. He later saw him again as an old man but Bagger Vance had not aged at all.

I rented the DVD and looked very carefully at the closing credits and did not see any acknowledgements at all to anything Indian. I assume it is all based upon this book: The Legend of Bagger Vance: A Novel of Golf and the Game of Life (1996) http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Bagger-Vance-Novel-Golf/dp/038072751X (http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Bagger-Vance-Novel-Golf/dp/038072751X)

The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0146984/

[wundermonk]

Stan Ridgway's Camouflage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFYxCIr-Byo) is an 80s song that tells the tale of a soldier who should have died in combat as his luck seemingly is about to run out. But he lives to tell the story and it is a VERY interesting story. :)

Lyrics of the song here (http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/stan+ridgway/camouflage_20129596.html).

[Jodhaa]

Namaste!

I just remembered a film from my childhood that includes references to the Ramayana. Warner Brother's did a film version of the book "A Little Princess", about a WWI war orphan awaiting the return of her father at an orphanage. While there, she entertains the other girls by telling them the Story of "Prince Rama". The details she relates are different, (Lakshman, Hanuman and the epic battle are missing of course. And the depiction of Ravana is...well...interesting) but the way it was depicted is quite beautiful and charming. It's not much, but it's something;) The clip below cuts between all the scenes where Sara, the girl, is narrating the story for the other girls.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11mPJP89zFo


Peace!

[Jainarayan]

Namaste.

Nice. :) Yep, a remake of The Little Princess, Shirley Temple, 1939. In a hospital where she was a 'foundling', she waited for her father, not knowing all along that he was a patient there recovering from his wounds. They were eventually reunited. It was a tear-jerker.

Just some triva (with an additional bonus spoiler ;)).

[Jodhaa]

Namaste.

Nice. :) Yep, a remake of The Little Princess, Shirley Temple, 1939. In a hospital where she was a 'foundling', she waited for her father, not knowing all along that he was a patient there recovering from his wounds. They were eventually reunited. It was a tear-jerker.

Just some triva (with an additional bonus spoiler ;)).


Oh, way to ruin it.:p


I just want someone to take the snippets from the WB version and make a full fledged film. I ask for so little!

[Jainarayan]

Oh, way to ruin it.:p

I just ain't no good from start to finish. ;)

[vikz22]

the Baldev Raj Chopra Mahabharat is the best representation of the epics for me

the title song still gives me goosebumps! i loved the series!

Its quite long (some 90+ episodes i think) but its really good!!!

the introduction of each episode by "time" (samay) is awesome!


graphics wise its not fantastic, but it was filmed in 1988 so it can be forgiven


great series!

[Jodhaa]

I'm hoping because it's so early, that this is just a rumor, because I don't like the sound of it at all:

http://theconfluencecountdown.com/2012/09/27/dreamworks-has-ramayana-movie-in-the-works-and-some-a-bit-wary/

"Buried in its lengthy slate of movies through 2016, Dreamworks Animation announced earlier this month that it will release an animated movie based on the Ramayana — but told from the point of view of “the monkeys.”"

*sigh*

[rakovsky]

I think that this is a great thread. I searched through IMDB and came up with a vast number of movies listed as touching on Hinduism.

On Netflix, Kahi Suni has a series on Hindu stories, and Episode 23 or 24 deals with Dwarka and the story of Krishna. Here is a trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr3RIZcFo-A

There is also an older movie called Hanuman, from 1998:
youtube.com/watch?v=Z8DVvxJuEOY

The BBC ran a documentary called Treasures of the Indus 3: Of Gods and Men (https://vimeo.com/151067458) . It focuses on Hinduism. I saw the first half and it was at least OK. Of course, the media (like BBC) does not always get everything right.
https://vimeo.com/151067458