Did the Hindu god Rama and his army of monkeys actually construct a bridge connecting Sri Lanka and India? Was the bridge a product of sedimentation, nature’s bounty made holy by human faith, or was it a prehistoric engineering marvel on par with the development of plastic surgery, nuclear weapons, and the first aircraft?
When you combine WhatsApp forward with visual effects, you get Ram Setu. The screenplay by director Abhishek Sharma is partially inspired on Pushkar Bhatnagar’s fictitious scientific investigation, Dating the Era of Lord Rama. Its consultant and dialogue writer is Chandrapraksh Dwivedi (Chanakya, Samrat Prithviraj).
Ram Setu takes some inspiration from the National Treasure series from Hollywood, as bounty hunters struggle to prove the veracity of conspiracies. The movie also ties in nicely with current political problems. Ram Setu tries to make wine out of water as a slightly sneaky propaganda effort.
Archaeologist Aryan (Akshay Kumar) wears a scraggly wig and what appear to be serious glasses. The self-described atheist appears to be well-known in his area. He is one of the archaeologists who travels to Bamiyan, Afghanistan, in order to rebuild the Buddha sculptures that the Taliban destroyed in 2001.
A similar degradation is anticipated by the Indian government, according to Ram Setu in 2007. (not the present one, of course). The Ram Setu bridge connecting India and Sri Lanka will be destroyed and a shipping canal will be constructed as a result of the government’s collaboration with a private dredging company headed by Indrakant (Nassar). Aryan volunteers to refute the government’s assertion that the Ramayana is a collection of beliefs and that the mythical roots of the bridge exist, which is also being debated in the Supreme Court.
Aryan, however, becomes a fervent supporter of the sacred geography of the subcontinent after a series of events. A yellowed rock fragment and hints that are lying around in plain sight support Aryan’s new theory.
The 144-minute movie muddles scientific method, archaeological procedure, and even alternative Ramayana readings. Poor comic book storyline, sluggish pacing, and lacklustre performances all contribute to the film’s attempt to convince rather than hector.
The demigod of this movie, Aryan pulls off incredible feats at every turn. Aryan’s helper Satya Dev, a local fisherman, portrays Hanuman. Nushrratt Bharuccha, who plays Aryan’s wife, and Jacqueline Fernandez, who plays an environmental scientist, are among the cast members, but Aryan’s miracle worker steals the show.
A narrative that argues that religious belief must be placed above secular understanding leaves little room for logic or even basic common sense. Ram Setu is partially set in Sri Lanka, where the military there is at battle with Tamil insurgents.
Aryan is extremely troubled by the 1981 fire that destroyed the Jaffna Public Library and the Bamiyan Buddhas. Aryan and this movie had nothing to say about the 1992 devastation of another landmark in India.
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