Dipika Chikhlia aka Ramayan’s Sita has finally reacted to the controversy surrounding Prabhas-Kriti Sanon’s Adipurush since its release.
The much anticipated mythological epic Adipurush starring Prabhas, Kriti Sanon and Sunny Singh hit the big screens last week. Since its release, the modern-day retelling of Ramayan has been at the receiving end for its some of its ‘offensive’ dialogues (which the makers since removed) and misrepresentation of some characters from the Hindu epic.
Now, actress Dipika Chikhlia who became a household name with her portrayal of Sita in Ramanand Sagar’s iconic mythological TV show Ramayan, has reacted to the controversy surrounding this film while speaking with a news agency.
The actress emphasized that the Hindu epic isn’t meant for entertainment adding that directors should avoid coming with new iterations every few years.
Dipika told PTI, “Every time it is going to come back on screen, be it for TV or movie, it is going to have something, which is going to hurt people because you are not going to make a replica of the Ramayana that we made. (But) what really pains me is why are we constantly trying to make Ramayana every year or two years. Ramayana is not (for) entertainment value; it is something that you learn from. It is a book, which is being passed down to us by generations and this is what our sanskars (values) are all about.”
The actress further shared with the agency that she is yet to watch the Prabhas starrer.
“Possibly that (negative buzz around Adipurush) also clouded my judgment. I am shooting round-the-clock, so time is a big constraint for me. So, when I actually watch it, then I will possibly be in a better frame of mind to talk about Adipurush. At this point, I have nothing to share. People are coming to me about it, the scenes and everything, and a lot of people from the press too, but I have no clue about it,” the news agency quoted Dipika as saying.
She then pointed at her own show Ramayan which aired on Doordarshan and claimed that they never aimed to make money. The actress said that people need to understand that Ramayana is ‘something you worship, you worship Lord Ram and Hanuman’.
According to Dipika, Ram and Hanuman ‘are not some American superhero kind of a thing’. Instead, they are people ‘whom we look up to, they are part of our history, they are our ancestors’. Explaining why the audience continues to shower love on that show even today, the actress said that the cast of Ramayan did a good job of portraying their characters with utmost honesty, which is one of the reasons why viewers adore the show even today.
