PremiumGadar To RRR - 5 movies that took the Ramayan blueprint and gave it a modern twist
The richness of the mythological epic Ramayan is so great that it has served as an inspiration for many Indian films.
Last Updated: 09.03 AM, Jan 21, 2024
Cinema at large is a medium that reflects life and uses the one lived as fodder to make one that becomes eternal on the screen. Stories have always inspired movies, and some classics have created genres. For Hindi cinema, the stories of legacy, love, unrequited relationships, and folklore have set the base for films that have become iconic over the years. Be it Laila Majnu, Romeo and Juliet, or the world of several cult authors, they have always been revered. But one storyline and mythological tale that has been one of the most prominent storylines in Indian films is Ramayan.
Yes, you read that right. Look at Ramayan as a film; it is one of the most perfectly structured stories with a room full of characters, each with a purpose, edged out in a unique way that creates a good story from each character. It follows the three-act structure to the core with a massive opening, an intriguing second act, and a quite impactful third act. There’s a righteous hero, a heroine, a villain, and everything in between them. So when filmmakers found solace in this epic years ago, they weren’t wrong to be attracted to it.
So today, we list down five movies that were influenced by Ramayan and reshape the story in modern times and characters.
Hum Saath Saath Hain (1999)
Available On: Netflix.
If you observe closely, Sooraj Barjatya’s filmography is heavily inspired by Ramayana. All his movies are made with the same structure, many songs like the Ramleela take place in villages, and a righteous hero who knows his ‘maryadaa’. Hum Saath Saath Hain was the modern-day Ramayan, though. It was his idea of how this epic would look if it were made today. The film is one of the most interestingly written plots just for the fact it has an unimaginable number of characters.
Gadar: Ek Prem Kathaa (2001)
Available On: Zee5.
Before you come at me, Anil Sharma is a filmmaker who has borrowed angles from many epics, and there is nothing wrong with it. These were written to inspire people and take the message forward. In Gadar, a man crosses a border to bring back his wife from the clutches of an evil man who took her away in an airplane with him. Does it resemble something? Well, yes, we're indeed talking about the Sita Haran chapter from the epic that inspired Gadar.
Raavan (2010)
Available On: Amazon Prime Video.
What did Sita’s time in captivation look like? We only saw the direct translation of the story on the screen, until one day Mani Ratnam decided to retell the tale, blending it with modern times and the politics of today. Raavan is Abhishek Bachchan’s most underrated performance. Aishwarya Rai looks ethereal, and the movie is a great treat for the people who can decode it.
RRR (2022)
Available On: Netflix.
SS Rajamouli makes period dramas that break records and those have become his identity. Watch Eega if you think so too. However, RRR, a movie about a revolutionary, is a script that spoke to the masses, but how. Well, the familiarity and the presence of Ram were enough to connect them, and when he bounced out in his full glory, we were all up for a treat. RRR is an experience better watched than read about.
Baahubali Series (2015)
Available On: Netflix.
Baahubali is, in itself, an epic. Rajamouli wrote this original story and took the world by storm. But the story also heavily inspired by Ramayana and Mahabharata. More from the latter, but one cannot deny how the film also gave us the deja vu’s of the former epic. Prabhas’ lead itself was an almost replica of Lord Ram in how he was shaped. A man so honest and righteous that no one could be as good as him. Indeed an interesting character.
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