Sampoorna Ramayana

I just watched this film and I was absolutely enchanted. I should mention that I am not an Indian, not have I watched very many Indian films. Sampoorna Ramayana is technically simplistic and sometimes naïve (from the 2009 Hollywood point of view), but a visual delight and an inspired introduction into this chapter of Indian mythology. The musical episodes are excellent, and some are simply unforgettable (e. g. the story of god Kama – the dancing is mesmerizing - or Ram's song for Seeta or Surpankha's song or the song by the two Seeta's sons). Several episodes had an enormous element of surprise and awe for me (not to give too much away I would mention Hanuman's interrogation and Ravan's monologue among others). Speaking of actors I'd like to stress their striking looks which were quite fitting for a magical story of divine adventures. To sum it up – the film should not be judged by the modern standards but rather it should be evaluated from the point of view of its own artistic universe. Sampoorna Ramayana is ambitious and beautiful (if too long at the beginning) and a must for anyone interested in India.

Sampoorna Ramayana (1961) is an Indian movie that was directed by Babubhai Mistry. The film is based on the written Ramayana, an epic tale of Lord Rama who is an avatar of Vishnu, the Preserver. His wife, Sita, is an avatar of Lakshmi, goddess of wealth. Sita traditionally has been considered the paragon of virtues for Hindu women. She is known for her dedication, self-sacrifice, courage, and purity.

The actor who plays Ram, Mahipal, was a well known star in 1961. However, Anita Guha, who portrays Sita, was virtually unknown until she starred in this movie. The movie was extremely popular, and she became famous throughout India.

Even the DVD cover refers to the Ramayana as "mythology." I think this stems from our Judeo-Christian culture, which regards our stories as religion, and the stories of other cultures as myth. (That's why we say Greek myths or Norse myths.) The Ramayan is based on Hindu religious tradition. It is not a myth to Hindus.

What's interesting is that this religious story is full of colorful scenes, epic battles, romance, and tragedy. It's a truly fascinating account that includes a Monkey King and a demon among the characters.

In 1961 the film was probably state of the art for Indian cinema. However, the production values and acting style appear very old-fashioned almost 60 years later. What is not old-fashioned is the great music. Indian actors don't sing movie songs. These are dubbed by professional singers. Two songs in this movie are sung by Lata Mangeshkar, who is the most famous Indian film vocalist. I learned that these two songs are still popular today. (Believe it or not, we heard Lata in performance in Toronto in the 1980's. She's great.)

This isn't a film I can recommend casually to IMDb viewers. Some people will find it too old fashioned, too long, or both. Indian audiences probably will like it more than U.S. audiences. Still, it has its own niche in film history, and you might enjoy it.

We saw Ramayana on DVD, where it worked well. I suggest that you give it a try. If you don't like it, you can always hit eject.