Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has watched Ramayana: Rise of a Legend for the second time and is just as impressed by it. Describing the film as a "Taj Mahal of cinema", Varma said he was reviewing it as a film enthusiast and not a Ram bhakt, pointing out that he is an atheist.
In a lengthy post on X, he praised the film's scale, visual effects and performances, calling Yash's portrayal of Ravana a performance for the decades.In a lengthy post on X, Varma said the film's ambition and scale were its biggest strengths. He argued that some critics had failed to recognise how the film's visual spectacle contributed to its emotional impact.He also praised director Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra for attempting something he believes Indian cinema had never imagined before.
Varma said the film's opening cosmic battle, Ravana's ten heads and the forest sequences stood out, but singled out the battle between Ravana and Jatayu as one of its most striking moments.Calling the film a major step forward for Indian cinema, he wrote that its scale made even some of Hollywood's biggest productions feel like "stage plays". Ram Gopal Varma on Yash, Ranbir's performancesVarma reserved special praise for Yash, who plays Ravana.
He said the actor's performance went beyond portraying a conventional villain and brought out the character's intelligence, devotion and ambition."Yash's Ravana is not a performance of the year, but it is of many decades," he wrote, adding that he could not recall seeing a character with a similar impact in all his years of watching cinema. He also praised the writing behind Ravana's character, particularly its exploration of his past, devotion to Lord Shiva and inner conflicts.
Varma said Yash's portrayal made Ravana the gravitational centre of the story, adding, "In short, there's no Rama without Ravana."The filmmaker also defended Ranbir Kapoor's portrayal of Rama against criticism that the actor maintained a similar expression throughout the film. According to Varma, the character's restraint is central to his portrayal."Ram is defined by what he withholds and not by what he expresses," he wrote.
He praised Ranbir's controlled performance, particularly during Rama's exile and the forest sequences.RGV praises Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman's musicVarma also appreciated the music composed by Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman. He said the score complemented the film's visuals instead of competing with them, and helped underline the emotions and choices of its characters.He defended the songs and background score against criticism that some tracks felt functional, arguing that they helped maintain the momentum of the three-hour film.
He particularly praised the music accompanying the Tandav sequences and aerial battles.The filmmaker also addressed criticism of the film's length, saying the story needed time to establish Ravana's character and Rama's exile. He praised Tiwari for resisting the temptation to turn the epic into a conventional action drama.Ram Gopal Varma calls Ramayana a new benchmark for Indian cinemaIn his post, Varma said Ramayana: Rise of a Legend did not need to borrow from international fantasy franchises such as The Lord of the Rings or Avatar, as it drew from India's own stories and cultural heritage.He also questioned the criticism directed at the film, saying he felt reviewing it through star ratings did not do justice to the scale of the effort behind it.Calling the film a new benchmark for Indian cinema, Varma said future releases would be measured against it.
He ended his post by suggesting that the only film capable of surpassing the first part would be its sequel.Replying to his post, director Nitesh Tiwari thanked the filmmaker. This is not the first time Varma has praised the film.
In an earlier post on X, he described it as a powerful cinematic experience and urged the makers not to be discouraged by negative reviews. He had compared the criticism to "barking street dogs" in the face of the enormous effort that went into making the film.- Ends