Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama

Watching Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama today feels like stepping into an ancient temple: the new 4K remaster brings back to life what once seemed worn and faded. Visually, the film remains striking. The blend of refined Japanese anime aesthetics with Indian pictorial sensibilities—especially in backgrounds inspired by Raja Ravi Varma—creates a unique beauty, with carefully layered compositions, shadows, and subtle lighting effects. This artisanal elegance, this technical reverence, is what allows the animation to withstand the test of time.

From a narrative perspective, the film follows the epic faithfully and linearly, without surprises or radical reinventions. We are guided through the familiar story of exile, loyalty to dharma, Sita’s abduction, and the climactic battle against Ravana—all key episodes are here, framed with respect. This fidelity is admirable but also introduces a certain dryness; it lacks narrative boldness, but it is built on solid ground.

Vanraj Bhatia’s score, ethereal and evocative, is more than a complement—it shapes the emotional tempo of the film, balancing grandeur with moments of calm reflection. The voice performances in the remastered version are competent and emotionally clear, even if purists might miss the gravitas of actors like Amrish Puri or Arun Govil from the original audio. These new voices don’t reinvent the characters, but they do honor their spirit.

The film’s most valuable strength lies in its symbolic weight. Rama is portrayed as the ideal leader archetype—dutiful, compassionate, unflinchingly righteous. His victories are never triumphant in tone, but quietly earned. Ravana, while more one-dimensional here than in some adaptations, retains the imposing mythical presence of a brilliant but corrupted intellect. His dramatic function is clear, though it misses layers of complexity.

There are deeply touching moments. Sita’s abduction, shrouded in the image of a lotus, contrasts with Lakshmana’s stunned silence and Hanuman’s solemn resolve. The film’s climax—when divine light pours onto Rama as he prepares to release the final arrow—synthesizes the eternal battle between justice and ambition. This fusion of spiritual gravity and visual poetry is deeply moving.

However, the film is not without flaws. Though technically elegant, the traditional 2D animation may seem outdated to audiences raised on modern CGI. The narrative structure is so reverent and closed-off that it occasionally lacks emotional tension; battle sequences offer scale, but not always visceral impact.

In the end, this is a refreshing experience. For those who appreciate epics, Indian mythology, and hand-crafted animation, the 2025 remastered version is a gift: rich in values, artistically bold, and worthy of critique. It’s not a perfect film, but it remains a vital work of art. And somewhere, Aruna Govil can still smile—not through his voice, but in the legacy this animation has managed to preserve.



Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama (1993 / Japan, India)
Direction: Koichi Sasaki, Ram Mohan, Yugo Sako
Screenplay: Narendra Sharma, Rani Burra, Ram Mohan, Koichi Sasaki, Yugo Sako
Cast: Nikhil Kapoor (Rama), Rael Padamsee (Sita), Uday Mathan (Ravana), Mishal Varma (Lakshman), Noel Godin (Hanuman)
Running Time: 135 min.