Ramayanam

The way it was meant to be.

This is one of two great stories ancient India has produced, the other being Mahabharata. The story of Ramayanam was said to be written as a poem by the sage Valmiki.

For those of you who are in the dark, let me enlighten you with a brief synopsis of this grand epic. Before that, I will have to give you folks a brief lesson on the Hindu god Vishnu.

In the basic Hindu Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the Hindu god Vishnu is the preserver and protector of creation. Vishnu is the embodiment of mercy and goodness, the self-existent, all-pervading power that preserves the universe and maintains the cosmic order Dharma.

Vishnu is often represented resting on the coiled serpent Shesha, with Vishnu's consort Lakshmi massaging his feet. Vishnu never sleeps and is the deity of Shanti, the peaceful mood. Vishnu does not tolerate ego. Vishnu's has ten incarnations. They are fish, tortoise, boar, lion-man, dwarf, Parashuram, Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Kalki. Kalki incarnation has yet to be come. The Ramayana has you have guessed is about Vishnu’s incarnation as Rama, the Prince of Ayodha.

Ramayanam Synopsis
King Dasaratha of Ayodha chooses his son Rama as his heir. His wife Kaikeyi asks that he appoint another son Bharata, instead. Kaikeyi pleads that he owes her two favors, and she feels misfortune will come upon her if he doesn't crown Bharata king and banish Rama to the forest for fourteen years. The king reluctantly agrees, so Rama goes with his beautiful wife, Sita, and his brother Laksmana, leaving their riches to live a simple life.

In the forest the three meet the demoness Surpanakha who falls in love with Rama. Rama refuses her advances and Laksmana wounds her. She flees to her brother Ravana, ruler of the island kingdom of Lanka. After hearing Surpanakha's report of the beauty of Sita, Ravana decides that he must have Sita and changes himself into in wandering holy man to find her in the forest. When Rama and Laksmana are distracted, Ravana carries Sita off to Lanka.

Sita mourns in Ravana's garden in Lanka, while Rama and Laksmana enlist the services of Hanuman, the monkey king, to help them find her. Hanuman, able to make himself larger or smaller, starts his search for Sita by taking a giant step to the Island of Lanka. Carrying Rama's ring he finds Sita and identifies himself as Rama's messenger. Sita is delighted, but Hanuman is caught and Ravana sets Hanuman's tail on fire. Hanuman escapes and sets fire to Lanka.

Rama, Laksmana, Hanuman, and his monkey army lay siege on Lanka. The monkeys make a bridge to Lanka, and after a long battle with spears, bows and arrows, Rama kills Ravana. Sita, however, is not received by Rama unreservedly; he questions her chastity after having lived in the house of another man. When he asks her to undergo the test by fire; she agrees. Proving her chastity by remaining unscathed by the fire, she rejoins Rama. Later, Rama abandons her to maintain the sanctity of public opinion and she goes to live in the ashram of sage Valmiki and bears twin sons Lava and Kusa, who as young men became reunited with their father, the god-king Rama.

The above synopsis is one of many different iterations of the story of Ramayanam. Though there are many different versions of the story, the spirit of the story remains the same. Although there have been some movies based on this epic, none of them had envisioned it for what it could have been.

I have always wanted to have someone translate this material into a movie that not only withstands the test of time but also to show the modern world that there was an epic far greater than any the world has ever seen. The more I wanted this to happen, the less likely it seemed. No one was daring enough or stupid enough to attempt to make a movie of such magnitude.

So I took it upon myself to render a new version of the Ramayanam. My version, the way it was meant to be.

It’s been a little over a year since I started to work on it. I think the 1st draft will be finished in a month or so. Why does it take so long? Well as my audience, you have the right to ask. I simply wanted it to be great.

This is no mere story we are talking about; this is a story that has been passed down by generation after generation. Remember Gandhi actually pronounced Rama as his last words after being shot by an assassin three times. And I will not be the one to turn it into a brainless Hollywood action movie.