Re: Movies based on the Hindu epics and stories?
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! ), 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.
Fully aware of the deficiency of my intelligence, I concentrate my attention on the son of Pavana,
And humbly ask for strength, intelligence and true knowledge to relieve me of all painful blemishes.
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