Manoj Muntashir Says Adipurush Was the Biggest Mistake of His Life

Manoj Muntashir calls Adipurush’s 2023 mythological movie the single biggest mistake of his life. In an interview recently, Muntashir spoke openly about the severe criticism, and that the experience was one of his most important turning points in life.

Adipurush, directed by Om Raut, starred Prabhas as Lord Ram, Kriti Sanon as Sita, Saif Ali Khan as Ravana, and Sunny Singh as Lakshman. Despite having a big pre-release buzz, the movie was heavily criticized after the release for its dialogue, visual effects, and portrayal of the Ramayana characters.

Manoj Muntashir, who wrote the film's dialogues and lyrics, said the controversy had a huge personal and professional impact. “The criticism,” he said, “made me think so much about how I would approach culturally and religiously important issues with a little more sensitivity."

Muntashir said he has accepted responsibility for the mistakes made during the project rather than blame others. As every creative professional has had his or her setbacks, Adipurush taught him everything about audience expectations and accountability.

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The film's dialogues became the most controversial; the movie’s dialogue made a lot of people mad at it and some lines in particular were criticized for using modern slang in a film based on one of India’s most celebrated epics. After the public outcry, the filmmakers changed some dialogues after the movie’s theatrical release in an attempt to placate viewers.

Adipurush didn't make much money at the box office and also didn't win over critics and audiences. And this was also an issue of changing mythological stories to modern cinema with respect to cultural and religious significance.

Muntashir said it has made him more cautious in his future projects. And storytelling based on revered historical or mythological figures is a big responsibility and creators need to balance artistic interpretation of the story with audience sentiment, he said.

His comments come at a time when audience members are eagerly awaiting another big-screen adaptation of the Ramayana. Adipurush’s re-examination shows how closely people monitor movies based on sacred texts and legendary characters.

Though Adipurush is still one of the most talked about Indian movies in recent years, Manoj Muntashir’s acknowledgment of criticism suggests that he is open to learning from the experience.