"You Should Be Ashamed": Mukesh Khanna Slams Sai Pallavi's 'Fighter Sita' In Ramayana

Mukesh Khanna is not happy with Sita's portrayal in Ramayana. Sai Pallavi played the role of Sita in the film. Taking to his vlog, the veteran actor questioned what he described as creative liberties taken with the character of Sita and argued that the epic should not be altered to suit modern sensibilities. Mukesh Khanna, who has not watched the film yet, said several reviews and social media discussions had left him surprised and prompted him to raise objections about the film's interpretation of key characters.

He said, "Sabse badi baat to ye hai ki ek-ek karke agar main logon ke comments batana shuru karun, kisi ek ne to bahut bada objection uthaya hai. Aur kaha hai ki kya aap kalpana laga sakte hain ki Ramayana mein Sita fight kar rahi hai, Jhansi ki Rani ki tarah ya aajkal ki heroines ki tarah jo macho bankar ladai karti hui dikhayi jaati hain."

(The biggest issue is that if I start recounting people's comments one by one, one person raised a very serious objection. He asked whether one could imagine Sita fighting in the Ramayana like Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi or like modern-day heroines who are shown as macho fighters.) 

"Sita do rakshason, teen rakshason ke saath ladti hai, combat karti hai, maarti hai, laat chalati hai. Ye sab Sita ji kar rahi hain."

(Sita is shown fighting two or three demons, engaging in combat, striking them, and kicking them. All of this is being done by Sita.)

He continued, "Main bhi is baat se achambhit hua. Mujhse zyada wo vyakti hairan tha jisne ye likha tha. Maine uski baat dekhi aur ye bhi dekha ki Sita ji aakar unse ladti hui dikhayi gayi hain."

(I was also astonished by this. The person who wrote about it seemed even more shocked than I was. I looked into what he said and saw that Sita was indeed shown fighting them.)

He further added, "Maine check kiya. Valmiki Ramayan mein kahin bhi aisa nahi hai. Aur main bhi jahan tak jaanta hun, maine jitna padha hai, Sita ji ne kabhi kisi se ladai nahi ki. Woh Maryada Purushottam Ram ki patni thi, jinhone seva bhav dikhaya, jinhone apne pati ke saath 14 saal vanvas mein rehna sweekar kiya."

(I checked. Nothing like this exists in Valmiki's Ramayana. As far as I know and from everything I have read, Sita never fought anyone. She was the wife of Maryada Purushottam Ram, who exemplified devotion and willingly accompanied her husband into exile for 14 years.)

"Apni kisi galti ki wajah se nahi, balki isliye kyunki putra Ram apne pita ke diye hue vachan ko poora karna chahte the, jo Kaikeyi ko diya gaya tha. Ye Maryada Purushottam Ram ki kahani hai aur Sita ji ne kaha ki main bhi wahin rahungi. Unhone kabhi rajdarbar ya rajsukh nahi manga."

(Not because of any fault of her own, but because Ram wished to fulfil the promise his father had made to Kaikeyi. This is the story of Maryada Purushottam Ram, and Sita chose to stay by his side. She never asked for royal comforts or privileges.)

Citing Sita's abduction by Ravana, he said, "Aap Sita ji ke baare mein ye badlav karke dikha rahe hain ki woh fighter hain? Sir, woh fighter nahi thi. Aur jab Ravana unka haran karke le gaya, agar woh fighter hoti, to us samay bhi Ravana se lad sakti thi na? Phir woh chupchaap pakad kar kaise le jaayi gayin?"

(You are changing Sita's character and portraying her as a fighter? Sir, she was not a fighter. And when Ravana abducted her, if she had been a fighter, she could have fought him then as well. How would she have been taken away so easily?)

At one point, he said, "Hum bachpan se in kathao ko dekhte aur sunte hue bade hue hain. Aaj bhi karib dedh mahine pehle maine Ramlila dekhi thi. Poora hall haath jodkar baitha hua tha. Unki aastha ke beech aap achanak ek naya scene daal dete ho ki Sita ji lad rahi hain, karate kar rahi hain, talwar chala rahi hain aur pata nahi kya-kya kar rahi hain."

(We grew up listening to and watching these stories. Even recently, I attended a Ramlila where people sat with folded hands. Then suddenly new scenes are inserted showing Sita fighting, doing martial arts, wielding a sword and much more.)

"Sharm aani chahiye aapko," said Mukesh Khanna. 

(You should be ashamed of doing this.)

The actor also linked the portrayal to what he described as a modern ideological interpretation of the character.

He said, "Sita ko fighter banakar aap aaj ki naariyo ko tusht karne ki koshish kar rahe hain. Kisi ne ye bhi likha sir, feminism! Sir, ye feminist hai. Mujhe nahi malum feminist kya hota hai par jahan tak main suna hai ki aap aajkal ki aurto ko bata rahe ho ki kitni strong hai. Sab hogi strong, hum kisi ka galat nahi kehte. Ramayan me Sita ji Sita ji thi sir, wo aaj ki naari ko represent nahi kar rahi hai ki jab unke bal par aaj ki naariyo ka tushtikaran karo. Galat baat hai."

(By portraying Sita as a fighter, you are trying to appeal to modern women. Some people have even called it feminism. I do not know much about feminism, but from what I understand, it seeks to portray women as strong. They may well be strong, and I am not disputing that. However, in the Ramayan, Sita was Sita, and she should not be used to represent a modern agenda. That is wrong.)

Ramayana was released in theatres on November 5. 

Also Read: Mukesh Khanna Reveals Why He Won't Watch The 'Rs 4,000-Crore' Ramayana In Theatres