Sita aka Dipika Chikhlia on Adipurush controversy: If character is from Lanka, should not look like Mughals'

Boycott Adipurush controversy: Filmmaker Om Raut's massive mythological epic tale, Adipurush is making headlines but for all the wrong reasons. Upon its teaser release, netizens roasted the makers for using bad VFX technology and also pointed out comparisons with the West. A section of people also raised eyebrows over the presentation of Hanuman and Ravana in the film. 

Reacting to the Adipurush controversy, Sita aka Dipika Chikhlia from Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana in an interview told Aaj Tak, "A film's characters must appeal to the audience. If the character is from Sri Lanka, they should not look like the Mughals. I could not understand much as we get to see him for mere 30 seconds in the teaser, but he does look different. I agree that times have changed and VFX is an essential part but only as long as the people's sentiments are not hurt. It is only a teaser, maybe it does not do justice to the film."

She added, "If I try to connect myself with Arvind Trivedi (Ravan in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan), I would not feel good. But I also believe each actor has the liberty to portray a character as their interpretation."

Filmmaker Om Raut also reacted to the Adipurush teaser row. "I was disheartened but not surprised because the film is made for a larger medium. You can cut it down to some extent, but can't bring it down to a mobile phone, that's an environment I can't control. If given a choice, I had never put it on YouTube but that's the need of the hour. We need to put it there so that it reaches a wide audience," Raut told reporters at the media preview of the film's 3D trailer on Tuesday as per PTI.

Adipurush is a retelling of the Ramayana. Prabhas's character is termed as Raghav, which is another name for Lord Ram. Saif plays Ravana while Janaki (Sita) is played by Kriti Sanon.

The film has reportedly been made on a budget of over Rs 400 crore.