Adipurush

2023 Indian mythological filmTemplate:SHORTDESC:2023 Indian mythological film
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***Adipurush*** is a 2023 Indian mythological action film based on the Hindu epic Ramayana. The film is directed and co-written by Om Raut, and produced by T-Series and Retrophiles. Shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu, the film features Prabhas, Saif Ali Khan, Kriti Sanon, Sunny Singh, and Devdutta Nage.

## Plot

Thousands of years ago, the demon king Lankesh gets a boon from the god of creation Brahma that he could not be slain by Devas nor demons, thus making him invincible. Elsewhere, King Dashratha of Kosala exiles his son Raghava for 14 years to fulfill his promise to his wife Kaikeyi, Raghava's stepmother, that her son would take the throne. Raghava accepts this and lives in the wilderness with his wife Janaki and his brother Shesh in the forests of Panchavati, near the river Godavari.

Lankesh's sister, the demoness Shurpanakha, tries to seduce the brothers and attempts to take Janaki's life, but after a failed attempt, the demoness ends up losing her ears and nose. Upon hearing of his sister's humiliation, Lankesh abducts Janaki in revenge. Raghava and Shesh set out to free Janaki with the help of the Monkey King Sugriva, his aide, Bajarang, and their monkey army. With the help of the Sea God, they are able to create a bridge across the sea (Ram Setu). Raghava and his army successfully cross the ocean to reach the shores of Lanka. Meanwhile Lankesh's brother Vibhishana is forced to leave Lanka because the later had opposed Lankesh's decision of abducting Janaki. Vibhishana joins Raghava's army. Lankesh is given a final ultimatum but rejects and starts a war.

During the war Shesh gets injured by Lankesh's son Indrajit but with the help of sanjivani brought by Bajrang they are able to cure him. They again embark on a war and emerge victorious by overpowering Lankesh's army. Raghava and Shesh successfully kill Kumbhakarna (Lankesh's brother) and Indrajit. With no other option, Lankesh decides to go in the battlefield himself. A battle takes place where Raghava manages to kill Lankesh and Janaki is set free. Raghava, Shesh and Janaki completes their 14 year long exile and return back to Kosala, where Raghava is crowned as the king.

## Cast

* Prabhas as Raghava, the seventh avatar of lord Vishnu and the warrior prince of Kosala, who lives a simple life in the forests with his wife and brother.
* Kriti Sanon as Janaki, avatar of goddess Lakshmi, Raghava's wife, who is abducted by Lankesh.
* Saif Ali Khan as Ravana, the antagonistic demon king of Sri Lanka. He sports ten heads and has numerous powers including superhuman strength and size alteration.
* Sunny Singh as Lakshmana, Raghava's younger brother and avatar of Sheshnag.
* Devdatta Nage as Bajrang, a close friend to the brothers and a deity resembling a monkey, known for his invulnerability and strength. He has similar abilities to Lankesh.
* Vatsal Sheth as Meghanada
* Sonal Chauhan as Mandodari
* Siddhant Karnick as Vibhishana, Lankesh's brother, who opposes his decision to abduct Janaki.
* Ayesha Madhukar as Sarama
* Tejaswini Pandit as Shurpanakha, a demoness and Lankesh's sister.
* Krishna Kotian as Dasharatha, Raghava's father and the king of Kosala.
* Sonali Khare as Kaikeyi, Raghava's wicked stepmother, who forces his exile.
* Lavi Pajni as Kumbhakarna, another brother and henchman of Lankesh known for his strength and appetite.
* Ajit Shidhaye as Prahasta
* Asha Sharma as Shabari
* Bijay J. Anand as Brahma
* Neha Khan as Trijata
* Rehan Khan as Maricha
* Gaurrav Walia as Sugriva
* Manohar Pandey as Angada
* Roopesh Jadhav Jambavan
* Kaustav Sinha as Nala
* Saurabh Thakare as Nila
* Prashant Uthale as Shuka
* Urvi Singh as young Shabri
* Rajesh K Salhotra as Dhakdasur

## Production

### Development

Adipurush, an adaptation of the Hindu epic Ramayana, was announced on 18 August 2020, via a promotional poster. Prabhas portrays Lord Rama under the direction of Om Raut who earlier helmed the period action film Tanhaji (2020). Om Raut was fascinated by the 1992 Japanese film Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama and was motivated to adapt the Ramayana into a film using modern technology. Raut wrote the script amidst COVID-19 lockdown in India. Prabhas immediately liked the project and the production company T-Series Films was on board for the project.

Adipurush is one of the most expensive Indian films ever made, with a budget of ₹500–700 crore. It was shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu languages, while also filmed in 3D.

### Casting

In September 2020, the makers revealed that Prabhas is enacting Lord Rama's portrayal whose character name was later revealed as Raghava. Saif Ali Khan, who already worked as an antagonist in Raut's Tanhaji, signed on for the role of Ravana, with the alias name, Lankesh. After rumours of Anushka Shetty, Anushka Sharma, Kiara Advani, and Keerthy Suresh being approached for the role of Sita, with the alias name of Janaki, it was reported in November 2020 that Kriti Sanon has been cast to essay the role; her inclusion into the film was confirmed by the makers four months later in March 2021. Sunny Singh, who joined the sets in February 2021, played Lakshmana, with the alias name being Shesh.

### Filming

Motion capture shoot for Adipurush begun on 19 January 2021. Muhurtam shot and formal launch was done on 2 February 2021 in Mumbai, India. Principal photography of the movie began that day, as informed by the makers. A massive fire accident took place at the filming location in Mumbai on the same day. Duplicate sets were erected same wise due to the fire break-out. In October 2021, Khan and Sanon wrapped up shoot. On 10 November 2021, the filming was completed.

## Music

The music for both the Hindi and Telugu versions of the film is composed by Ajay-Atul and Sachet–Parampara (noted). The first single titled "Jai Shri Ram" was released in its short version on 6 April 2023 on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti. The full song was released on 20 May 2023 under the same name in Hindi and Telugu alongside dubbed versions (Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam). The second single titled "Ram Siya Ram" (in Hindi) and "Ram Sita Ram" (in Telugu) was released on 29 May 2023.

## Notes

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## References

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## External links

* TBA
* TBA
* TBA

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