Adipurush wrongly portrays Lord Ram, Hanuman; ban the film: Ram temple head priest

The head priest of Ram temple in Ayodhya on Wednesday demanded an immediate ban on Bollywood movie Adipurush, alleging that it has wrongly portrayed Lord Ram, Hanuman and Raavan.

A 1.46-minute teaser of the movie was launched on Sunday in Ayodhya, and has been receiving blowback since then.

“The way in which Raavan has been depicted is absolutely wrong and condemnable. Through the media, we demand an immediate ban on the film,” said priest Satyendra Das, on the occasion of the annual Vijay Rath Yatra.

He said Adipurush, a big budget adaptation of the Ramayana and directed by Om Raut of Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior fame, doesn't show Lord Ram and Hanuman as mentioned in the epic and goes against their dignity.

BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh, who was here to attend a separate 'Shastra Puja', said it appears that such controversies are being created deliberately.

“Making a film is not a crime. They should be made but creating deliberate controversies to hog limelight is inappropriate,” he said.

Fronted by Baahubali star Prabhas, who features as Lord Ram, the multilingual period saga sees Saif Ali Khan play the role of a 10-headed demon king called Lankesh. With a beard, fierce eyes and a buzz cut, he seems barbarism personified and many called out the filmmakers for the apparent Islamisation of Raavan.