Product Description

The movie is based on the tale which is an oft-told one. Rama's wife Sita gets kidnapped by demon king Raavan. He crosses hill and dale and several miles and even an ocean to get her back and is assisted by his brother and an army of shapeshifting monkeys among other assorted animals. It's India's definitive good triumphs over evil epic.

Review

Lighting and compositing is competent. The concept artists have worked really hard to create their version of the architecture of the time while the matte painters and background modellers have breathed life into them. The work done by the cloth, hair and fur simulation team is above par.

The VFX is noteworthy going by what has been dished out this year by Indian animation studios. Watch out in particular for the sea god scene and the Bali-Sugriva battle scene where Rama helps Sugriva win. Also marvel at Raavan's aerial vehicle and the effort taken to create Jatayu and the golden deer. --platform47.com

Everybody agrees that the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are the best stories that can ever be told. In terms of characters, drama and emotions, they are the quintessential potboilers that can never go wrong.... Unless they end up in the hands of unimaginative animators who are hell-bent on transforming the epical tales into boring, inanimate sermons. Now haven't we seen so many of these films, of late?

But wait. Here comes an animation film that breaks the mould completely and makes you sit back and savour the eternal superhero story that's told with Spielbergian panache. So many things work in favour of Chetan Desai's Ramayana. First, there is the 3D animation, which is vibrant, colourful and is a fine blend of calendar and pop art. Rama in ebullient blue tones, Sita in delicate white, Ravana in grimacing brown and Hanuman in his larger-than-life avatar are all great lookers. Second, the voice-overs are given special attention, just like Hollywood films. If Manoj Bajpai and Juhi Chawla lend an equanimity to the characters of Rama and Sita with their soft undertones, then Ashutosh Rana razzle-dazzles with his over-the-top rendition of Ravana. Mukesh Rishi's Hanuman too has the perfect tenor of the perfect devotee. But more than all this, it is the special effects of the film that sizzle and crackle. Hanuman's flying soirees, Rama's encounters with sea gods and serpents, the boisterous battle sequences are all spectacle and fun. Even the language is not Sankritised and strikes a chord with the aam aadmi.

Shred of all sermons, Ketan Mehta's (producer) Ramayana works like magical pop art: An Andy Warhol version of an eternal Indian superhero. --platform47.com

RAMAYANA works for two reasons. One, the story [yes, we know the story well, but love to listen to it again and again] keeps you hooked and two, the quality of animation is super. It's difficult to encompass this great epic in a two-hour film this one's less than two hours], but the makers convey all they ought to convey most effective.

A number of sequences from RAMAYANA have recall value. The notewrothy scenes are the portions depicting the fight between Sugriva and Bali, Raavan's introduction, Hanuman's journey to Lanka and of course, the battle between Lord Rama and Raavan. In fact, the battle is spectacular and blows your mind. Besides, the vibrant usage of colors coupled with a fast-paced narrative makes this animation film the best we've seen so far. In addition to that, special attention has been paid to the lighting and costumes. Also, the animated characters come alive with voice-overs by Manoj Bajpayee [Lord Rama], Juhi Chawla [Goddess Sita], Ashutosh Rana [Raavan] and Mukesh Rishi [Lord Hanuman].

On the whole, RAMAYANA is a must-watch. It's the kind of cinema that should appeal to youngsters as well as adults, the kids and the kids-at-heart. --platform47.com

About the Actor

Juhi Chawla is an Indian actress, film producer and television presenter. After being crowned as the winner of the Miss India beauty contest in 1984, Chawla pursued an acting career. She went on to become one of the top leading actresses of Bollywood and starred in films ranging from the romances Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Darr to Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, which earned her the Filmfare Best Actress Award, to Yes Boss and Ishq.

Juhi Chawla was born in Ludhiana, Punjab, India. She completed her schooling from Ludhiana before the family moved over to Mumbai. She graduated from Sydenham College, Mumbai with a specialisation in HR. She was the winner of Miss India title in 1984; later she won Best Costume Award for the Miss Universe contest in 1984. She is also a very good dancer. In a Baaje Payal (a film based on a collection of interviews for dancers/actresses) interview, she mentioned having learnt Kathak for three years and regretted giving it up as it could have helped her in her career as an actress. She is also an accomplished classical singer and has been training for the last 6 years.

Chawla ventured into films with the 1986 Sultanat. She also acted in Kannada classic Premaloka directed by Ravichandran in 1987. Her first major role in Bollywood was in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in 1988, in which she starred with Aamir Khan. In 1990, she starred in such films as Pratibandh, which was a box office success and for which she was nominated the Filmfare Best Actress Award, and Swarg. In 1992, she was nominated for a Filmfare for Bol Radha Bol which performed well commercially.

Through the 2000s, Chawla started appearing in independent and art films, and her work in the genre included the critically acclaimed films 3 Deewarein, 7½ Phere and My Brother Nikhil, which Taran Adarsh termed as ""amongst the finest in her career"". She won a Star Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress for 3 Deewarein. She has appeared in several non-Hindi language films. She has appeared in three Punjabi films: Shaheed Uddham Singh (2000), Des Hoyaa Pardes (2004), and Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waris (2006).

During the 2000s, Chawla has also been presenter and host of numerous television shows, particularly award ceremonies, including the Filmfare Awards and the Zee Cine Awards. Chawla has been a judge for the entertainment show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa alongside Saroj Khan and Vaibhavi Merchant during the show's third season.

Juhi later turned producer and became the co-owner of a production company called Dreamz Unlimited with Shahrukh Khan and director Aziz Mirza.