Ramayana: The Legend Of Prince Rama: Although critics and viewers may have mixed opinions of Adipurush, Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama is becoming more and more well-liked nowadays. This “epic” film, which took two years to make and cost $13 million (considerably more in those days), was the result of a massive collaboration between 450 Indian and Japanese artists. The film is rated 9.2 on IMDB, which is even higher than Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana! Even greater than Ramanand Sagar’s renowned TV Series from 1987, many think Ramayana: The Prince of Legend Rama is the best film adaptation of the epic. It is also known as “Japanese Ramayana” or “Cartoon Network Ramayana.”
Ramayana: The Legend Of Prince Rama Story
The story begins with Prince Rama being banished for 14 years, and it concludes with Lord Rama’s army vanquishing the demonic king Ravana and triumphantly returning to Ayodhya. Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama, a two-hour, fifty-minute film, was dubbed in both English and Hindi before its release.
Who Created Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama?
Yugo Sako, a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and producer who enjoyed the epic story of Ramanaya, visited India while working on the documentary film “The Ramayana Relics,” which was based on excavations by renowned archaeologist Dr B.B. Lal at Ayodhya. So much so that he read all 10 of the Japanese translations of the Ramayana. He came up with the concept of turning it into a movie. He believed that no actor could adequately portray Rama, therefore he came up with the idea for an anime series based on the Ramayana.
Yugo Sako, the producer, and Atsushi Matsuo, the executive producer, began creating anime in 1990. Sako spent more than $13 million to deliver the finished film to theatres and nearly 60 trips to India over the course of a decade because he was so committed to making it.
The director of this film, Yugo Sako, passed away on April 24, 2012, at the age of 84. He was most well-known for making this cult classic.
The Legend of Prince Rama – Making
Ram Mohan, commonly referred to as the Father of Animation in India, and Koichi Saski, both from Japan, were the first two animation directors to work on the Japanese anime Ramayana. Teams from Japan and India worked on different aspects of the project. And by the end of 1992, 450 people had together worked really hard to design over 100,000 hand-drawn celluloid pictures!
Two teams were formed for the movie’s production: an Indian team (in charge of handling the dialogue, music, and artistic settings) and a Japanese team (in charge of handling the animation, hand-painted illustrations, storyboarding, photography, editing, etc.). To finish the movie, numerous writers, music directors, dubbing artists, and performers came from India. The project involved a large number of top-notch animators who had previously worked on Hayao Miyazaki’s films.
Numerous well-known performers, including Shatrugn Sinha, Namrata Sawhney, and Amrish Puri, voiced the Hindi version of the film. Arun Govil and Dara Singh, who played Rama and Hanuman, respectively, in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana, performed the dubbing for a couple of the sections. Rahul Bose and Cyrus Broacha were among the notable actors who voiced the English version.
The Release of Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama
The 24th International Film Festival of India, which was held in Delhi in 1993, featured this film for the first time. The first delay in the film’s release in India was several years. due to racial tensions caused by the riots that followed the Babri Masjid’s demolition. The Hindi-dubbed version of the film wasn’t made available in India till 1997.
The film is currently receiving wide releases in the USA and Japan. In 2001, it was published in the US under the title Warrior Prince or The Prince of Light: The Ramayana. Additionally, the film received favourable reviews in these nations.
Why was it not so popular at the time of its release?
Right from the start, the animation film Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama encountered numerous difficulties. The idea of depicting deities as animated figures initially worried the Indian government. A few Hindu organisations also took issue with foreigners portraying a significant Indian cultural symbol unjustly.
The film was finally released in theatres in India in 1997, but only on a relatively small number of screens in the major cities. Despite gaining praise in other nations and at international film festivals, it is claimed to have vanished from screens within a few weeks. Some blame the movie’s lacklustre box office performance on subpar marketing.
Different Versions Of Ramayana That Are Much Better Than Adipurush, Check Out
Recent Interest & Praise for Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama
A few years after its theatrical debut, this film made its Cartoon Network premiere, and after numerous repeat telecasts, it quickly developed its own cult following. In fact, a lot of people also call the film “Cartoon Network Ramayana.”
Some of the explanations for why we all still have fond memories of this movie include: With the use of a fusion approach, US Disney animation, Japanese Manga, and Ravi Varma’s painting style, the animation was innovative for its time. All of the Indian cultural facets, including jewellery, clothing style, and facial emotions, were animated into the film. In fact, when animating complex clothing features like a dhoti, Indian animators helped their Japanese counterparts!
Current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Japan in the year 2022 and met the film’s executive producer, Atsushi Matsuo, and assistant producer, Kenjii Yoshi. Modi also mentioned the film on an episode of Mann Ki Baat, which piqued the interest of many Indians. In March 2022, over 30 years after its first release, a 4K digitally restored version of this film was also released.
How Can you watch Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama?
The good news is that you can watch this fantastic anime film for free on the movie’s official YouTube account if you feel like it.
ramayana the Legend of Prince Rama download
I recommend checking authorized streaming platforms or purchasing the movie through legitimate channels to enjoy it legally and support the creators. It’s always best to respect copyright laws and engage in legal methods of accessing content.
