Ramayana trailer for Ramayana, one of the most eagerly awaited Indian movies of recent years, is making a million people go crazy. Despite the movie’s grand visuals, star-studded cast, and the large scale of its story and the number of people in it, the costumes worn by several of its central characters have also sparked a huge firestorm on social media. Sai Pallavi’s portrayal of Sita is the most celebrated, and it is as much a topic of debate whether we can say she is a good actress or not as whether she looks good or not, as the audience can say.
A few people on social media already referred to Sai Pallavi's attire as a ‘modern Sita’ look after the trailer was released, while others felt that it was a departure from the traditional visual representation of the revered mythological character. Some viewed the styling as too modern for a story that is deeply rooted in Indian mythology. Similar discussions were also had about Lara Dutta's Kaikeyi: The filmmakers’ Kaikeyi was also considered a very different one, but many people felt that the filmmakers had creative decisions to make.
Given the continued debate around the film, the film’s acclaimed costume designers Rimple and Harpreet Narula have finally talked about the criticism for the first time, and discussed the concept behind the costumes.
Discussing how people feel about the reactions, the designer duo said that they anticipated that the costumes would generate a lot of conversation once the trailer was released. Adapting an epic like Ramayana to fiction for modern cinema is a very difficult task, which is expected by the masses, to show everyone that every one of us has a picture of Lord Rama, Sita, Kaikeyi and Ravana in our minds.
Rimple and Harpreet stressed that they would never attempt to recreate the traditional calendar art or television work of the epic. Instead, they tried to portray characters as real, dignified and emotionally grounded but respectful of the cultural and spiritual significance of the story.
The designers revealed that extensive research became the basis for all the work. They studied ancient Indian textiles, temple sculptures, historical references, archaeological finds and traditional craftsmanship before producing the costumes. Rather than making decisions based on what’s popular in Ramayana’s paintings, they tried to create an aesthetic that would be the most culturally relevant and relevant to Indian people in our modern times.
In Sai Pallavi’s Sita look, the designers explained the costumes were designed to reflect simplicity, purity, grace, compassion, and inner strength— characteristics of the character that are traditionally associated with the character. They aimed to make the clothes as comfortable as possible for Sai Pallavi's screen presence and not get so much decoration that it was distracting from her screen presence.
From the designers, the fabric, color palette, embroidery pattern, and accessory design were chosen to support the emotional journey of the character throughout the film. These costumes were designed to be part of the story, so that every costume was part of the story and not just a visual image.
They also said that judging the costumes only on a short trailer may not be the whole picture. As the film has only premiered so far, the designers say, the full context of the costumes will come through once the movie is released.
Sai Pallavi's casting as Sita has also stirred much interest in the audience because her acting is so natural and emotionally powerful. Many fans have found her look very pretty and her beauty very understated (and elegant) in the trailer, but fans have been debating the visual interpretation of the icon.
The discussion has only helped build interest in the film. The debate over the costumes is indicative of the deep emotional bond that people have with the Ramayana and the difficulty for filmmakers to present that character to a modern generation.
While the film’s excitement is on its way ahead of release, the quality of the new creative vision of Sai Pallavi’s Sita and the film’s overall costume design will be determined by fans to see whether it is in balance with the authentic, traditional, and cinematic approach.
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