Mahayoddha Rama Review: Yet another average animated film

Film: Mahayoddha Rama (U)
Rating: 2.5/5

Director Amaan Khan made his debut with the animated version of the Mahabharat in 2013 titled Mahabharat (3D). Circa 2016, Rohit Vaid makes his debut with Mahayoddha Rama, based on other ancient Indian epic, the Ramayan. Hindi film artistes have done the voiceovers for both films. The similarities don’t end here though. Just like Mahabharat (3D), Mahayoddha Rama is an average entertainer for kids. 

Mahayoddha Rama retells the story of Rama. The ten-headed demon king Ravana is wreaking havoc on earth after getting special boons through penance. As he is showing no signs of stopping his atrocities on innocent people, the god Vishnu decides to take matters in his own hands and is born on earth as Rama.

Rama is the eldest son of king Dasharath and queen Kaushalya of Ayodhya. Rama grows up to be a brave and wise youngster. He is admired by his brothers, Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughna. 

Rama gets married to Sita, daughter of king Janaka of Mithila, after he wins her hand in a swayamwara. But just when he is about to be coronated as the next king of Ayodhya, Manthara, the old maid of Kaikeyi, another of Dasharath's queens, plays a dirty trick. She brainwashes Kaikeyi into exercising an old boon granted by the king and enthroning her son Bharat as the king of Ayodhya and sending Rama into exile in the forest for 14 years.

Sita and Lakshman also tag along with Rama. During their forest expedition, the demoness Supranakha, sister of Ravana, has a misadventure with the trio. This results in Ravana kidnapping Sita.

The positive aspect of Mayayoddha Rama is that it doesn’t merely retell the great epic, as has been done for ages through various media. It is very clear from the beginning that the motto here is to add wit and freshness to the narrative. So we see the characters, including Sita, indulge in martial arts, Ravana mouthing lines from popular Hindi films, Hanuman speaking in Punjabi, and the use of new-age technology. 

But some issues stop Mahayoddha Rama from becoming an ideal children’s film. The narrative doesn’t do justice to important incidents, including Kaikeyi’s trick in sending Rama into exile, and the all-important episode of Rama Setu. As the film is made for kids, you can’t assume that they know every episode of the Ramayan.

The film also suffers from an over-indulgence in martial arts. The jumping and flying sequences should have been regulated. 

This is yet another Hindi film with animation that suits the needs but falls short of today’s standards. With technology and talent at our disposal, it is high time we push the boundaries of Indian animation.

The background score generates the right effects, but it is too loud at times. Despite Javed Akhtar’s lyrics, the songs aren’t much to talk about. 

Mahayoddha Rama doesn’t excite you much in terms of the voiceovers of the positive characters. Kunal Kapoor’s voice suits Rama but it doesn’t give a specific identity to the character. Jimmy Shergill is impressive as the voice of Lakshman. However, he doesn’t get much prominence. Sameera Reddy does not add much depth to the character of Sita. 

But the makers do earn brownie points as far as the voiceover of Ravana is concerned. It was a smart idea to include three voiceovers for the king of Sri Lanka, for three of the 10 heads. Gulshan Grover is perfect as the main head. Sadashiv Amrapurkar and Kiku Sharda succeed in adding more dimensions to the demon king. Mukesh Rishi, as Hanuman’s voice, also makes his presence felt. Other prominent actors like Raza Murad (Vishwamitra), Suchitra Pillai (Surpanakha), Vikram Gokhale (Dasharath) and Roshan Abbas (Indrajit) chip in with their bits. 

Overall, Mahayoddha Ram had the resources but couldn’t go as far with it as one would have liked. 

Director: Rohit Vaid
Producers: Contiloe Pictures
Writers: Rohit Vaid, Sameer Sharma and Varun Grover
Cast: Kunal Kapoor, Jimmy Shergill, Sameera Reddy, Gulshan Grover, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Kiku Sharda
Music: Adesh Shrivastava
Genre: Animation
Runtime: 106 minutes