Lyricist and dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir recently admitted that the 2023 film Adipurush, which is based on the Ramayana, was the “biggest mistake” of his life. He also described the film as a “failed mistake” and said the upcoming Ranbir Kapoor-headliner Ramayana Part: 1 should not be compared with Adipurush.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Strategic Round Table on Capitalising India’s Telecom Decade in Mumbai, Manoj said, “It is better not to compare Ramayana with Adipurush. There should be no shame in admitting that Adipurush couldn’t meet expectations. The people associated with the film worked very hard, but it was a failed attempt. I am very proud that Adipurush’s music has reached people. The film’s music was a big hit. I hope the music of Ramayana matches that of Adipurush and goes beyond it.”
Earlier, in an interview with Times Now, Manoj had expressed regret over his association with Adipurush and said,
“In the beginning, I was dismissive of all the backlash and criticism. I won’t lie. I want people to know that Adipurush was the biggest mistake of my life. It was an even bigger blunder to come forward and defend it. I am deeply ashamed of everything that happened around that film, and I am extremely sorry for my actions,” he said.
Acknowledging his mistakes, Manoj added, “We couldn’t do justice to Lord Ram and Hanuman with this film. I couldn’t understand that at the time. All the mistakes I made happened in those two days. The film released on June 16, 2023, and everything went wrong between June 16 and June 18. People called to congratulate me, but that was when I realised many people don’t necessarily wish you well.”
Addressing the controversy surrounding the film’s colloquial language, which drew widespread criticism, Muntashir said, “The dialogues were extremely crass. I wrote them, and I admit they were bad. When I look back today, I feel deeply ashamed. I don’t know why I wrote them. What was I even thinking?”
Adipurush starred Prabhas as Lord Rama, Sunny Singh as Lakshmana, and Kriti Sanon as Sita. The demon king Ravana was played by Saif Ali Khan in the film. The movie was panned by both audiences and critics. It could only amass about Rs 410 crore worldwide against a budget of about Rs 500 to Rs 700 crore.
