Director Nag Ashwin’s epic mythological sci-fi actioner Kalki 2898 AD was one of many largest hits of 2024 in India, rating because the second-highest-grossing Indian movie of the 12 months. Starring Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan and Disha Patani, the movie fused components of the Hindu epic Mahabharata with fiction, crafting a particular narrative set throughout a number of eras. Whereas Amitabh Bachchan portrayed Ashwatthama, a warrior from the epic, Prabhas took on twin roles, as Bhairava, a bounty hunter, and Karna, a loyal ally of Duryodhana, the eldest Kaurava.
Now, lyricist-poet Anantha Sriram has come ahead criticising the movie for its depiction of Karna, claiming it portrayed him as superior to Arjuna. Talking at a public operate organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district final week, Sriram, Hindustan Instances reported, alleged that modern cinema was “distorting Hindu mythology” and known as for a boycott of such movies.
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Alleging that filmmakers had been misrepresenting Hindu deities and symbols, Sriram additionally claimed that he as soon as pledged to not collaborate with a director who rejected the utilization “Brahmanda Nayakudu” (a reference to Lord Vishnu) in one of many works he had written. “After they distorted and portrayed Karna as superior to Arjuna, how dare we as a Hindu society keep silent? When Draupadi vastraharan (disrobement) passed off, what did Karna do? I’m ashamed as an individual who belongs to this movie business. We’re not going to remain silent anymore,” HT quoted him as saying.
In response, filmmaker Venu Udugula, identified for helming motion pictures similar to Needi Naadi Oke Katha (2018) and Virata Parvam (2022), identified that the humanisation of Karna in Telugu cinema dates again to 1977 with NT Rama Rao’s Daana Veera Soora Karna and questioned whether or not Sriram’s criticism prolonged to NTR’s portrayal of Karna. “The matter of Kalki film apart, within the Telugu cultural narrative, the primary movie to introduce a social and humanitarian perspective to Karna’s character was Daana Veera Soora Karna. The nice NTR introduced Karna’s persona nearer to the folks by means of this movie. Are your feedback directed solely at Karna’s character, or do in addition they try to undermine the socially resonant imaginative and prescient that NTR offered? Can your remarks be seen as a rejection of his inventive legacy?”
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