Big Bollywood films are now often marketed through their budgets as much as their stories. Salman Khan has pushed back on that trend. Speaking on Friday, the superstar said the discussion around the recently released Indian epic 'Ramayana' has drifted too far from the story at its heart.
Salman was in Mumbai's Andheri West with his co-actors for a special event for his upcoming war-drama 'Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace'. When asked about 'Ramayana', he told the media, "I think the discussion around 'Ramayana' should be focused on 'Ramayana', and not the VFX, cost of production and other peripherals. This entire narrative of INR 4000 crores around the film, and its VFX is redundant. The discussion should be around 'Ramayana', Ram, Sita and Ravan".
A Star Questioning the Budget Race
Salman's comment carries weight because of who he is. He has spent more than three decades in Hindi cinema, and his own films are usually marketed on scale. So when he says a film's price tag is a distraction, he is questioning a habit the industry has fallen into. Producers now often use production costs, technical partners and VFX budgets as headlines on their own. The thinking is that big numbers create curiosity and help a film open well.
There are reasons for that buzz around 'Ramayana'. The film has drawn wide attention for its visual effects and casting, and more recently for its music. Oscar and Grammy winner A. R. Rahman composed it with Hans Zimmer, a pairing that has made headlines of its own. Salman's point is not that these things don't matter. His argument is that, for a story millions of Indians grew up with, the characters and the telling should come first.
Many viewers would agree. Audiences have often grown tired when promotion leans on spectacle at the expense of substance. With mythological stories in particular, they tend to judge a film by how faithfully and movingly it handles the story, not by what it cost.
The Real Event Behind 'Maatrubhumi'
Salman's own next release rests on a story with very different stakes. 'Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace', earlier titled 'Galwan', is based on the stand-off between India and China on June 15, 2020, during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India. Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. The clash was part of a wider standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and it turned violent when both sides tried to patrol disputed areas.
Twenty Indian soldiers were killed, and China also suffered casualties. It was the deadliest India–China face-off in more than four decades. It led both nations to send more troops and to hold diplomatic talks to avoid further conflict. India and China have since mended ties and opened several diplomatic channels.
With that background, the film will be watched closely. Salman also denied rumours that the government had pressured him to change the script. That puts to rest a question that had followed the project since its name change.
When 'Maatrubhumi' comes out, Salman's own advice will apply to it too: audiences will judge it on its story, not on the talk around it.
With inputs from IANS
Big Bollywood films are now often marketed through their budgets as much as their stories. Salman Khan has pushed back on that trend. Speaking on Friday, the superstar said the discussion around the recently released Indian epic 'Ramayana' has drifted too far from the story at its heart.
Salman was in Mumbai's Andheri West with his co-actors for a special event for his upcoming war-drama 'Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace'. When asked about 'Ramayana', he told the media, "I think the discussion around 'Ramayana' should be focused on 'Ramayana', and not the VFX, cost of production and other peripherals. This entire narrative of INR 4000 crores around the film, and its VFX is redundant. The discussion should be around 'Ramayana', Ram, Sita and Ravan".
A Star Questioning the Budget Race
Salman's comment carries weight because of who he is. He has spent more than three decades in Hindi cinema, and his own films are usually marketed on scale. So when he says a film's price tag is a distraction, he is questioning a habit the industry has fallen into. Producers now often use production costs, technical partners and VFX budgets as headlines on their own. The thinking is that big numbers create curiosity and help a film open well.
There are reasons for that buzz around 'Ramayana'. The film has drawn wide attention for its visual effects and casting, and more recently for its music. Oscar and Grammy winner A. R. Rahman composed it with Hans Zimmer, a pairing that has made headlines of its own. Salman's point is not that these things don't matter. His argument is that, for a story millions of Indians grew up with, the characters and the telling should come first.
Many viewers would agree. Audiences have often grown tired when promotion leans on spectacle at the expense of substance. With mythological stories in particular, they tend to judge a film by how faithfully and movingly it handles the story, not by what it cost.
The Real Event Behind 'Maatrubhumi'
Salman's own next release rests on a story with very different stakes. 'Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace', earlier titled 'Galwan', is based on the stand-off between India and China on June 15, 2020, during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India. Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. The clash was part of a wider standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and it turned violent when both sides tried to patrol disputed areas.
Twenty Indian soldiers were killed, and China also suffered casualties. It was the deadliest India–China face-off in more than four decades. It led both nations to send more troops and to hold diplomatic talks to avoid further conflict. India and China have since mended ties and opened several diplomatic channels.
With that background, the film will be watched closely. Salman also denied rumours that the government had pressured him to change the script. That puts to rest a question that had followed the project since its name change.
When 'Maatrubhumi' comes out, Salman's own advice will apply to it too: audiences will judge it on its story, not on the talk around it.
With inputs from IANS