REVISITING EPICS

During this unfortunate pandemic,  retelecasting of our epics Ramayan and Mahabharat by  DD National turned out to be one of the brightest spots in the otherwise dull everyday routine. It wasn’t any drama being telecast to kill our boredom, rather it was something around which the entire schedule of our family revolved. And from what I have seen on social media platforms, the same was the case for many households. Every day 2 hours each in the morning and evening the entire family sat in front of the screen and the rest of the daily chores got distributed around.  Since time immemorial I can never remember my father sitting idly and enjoying TV with all of us.

For me, it was very important for many reasons. As a kid, I had heard entire Ramayan and Mahabharat stories from my mother even before seeing its on-screen manifestation some two decades ago. But then hearing and seeing them was somewhat like watching an action flick, anxiously rooting for the hero to pop in and kill the villain. But today having lived and endured many ups and downs of life revisiting our epics was way more than any story or fight between good and evil. Unlike earlier times when we used to wait for a fight scene and the talks between characters just served as fillers between actions, now I could enjoy all the dialogues, they were way more enlightening and engrossing and the fight scenes just seem to be transpiring only to actualize and justify the conversation just concluded.  Almost every scene is educating in its own way. Earlier there used to be just good or evil, black or white, now my focus always centered around the reasons for any further eventuality, why someone acted in a particular way. I could find reason and logic behind deceitful and contemptuous actions as well as for the miseries and misfortunes of the downtrodden ones. 

Optimism, perseverance, faith, and hope can make an individual surmount travesties hitherto unknown to mankind itself. Even in the darkest and dullest of time, if we keep on pushing ourselves, we shall endure.

Other than these philosophical aspects, revisiting the epics this time around, made me appreciate the art of film making itself which I couldn’t earlier. The original music and scores are some of the best works ever done in Indian film and television history, they are equally engrossing and mesmerizing even today, as were the demeanors of the actors. The clear and crisp monologues, complimented with their extremely convincing acting displayed their dedication and devotion to their roles. In an era where we keep appreciating the west for their filmmaking qualities, these epics made in India over three decades back are shining light in Indian film history. The ease with which the director uses the animation, effects, and technologies so primitive and still successfully conveys the message, essence, and feel of the scene to the audience without leaving them distracted or confused, is really stupendous.