Nitish Bharadwaj Withdraws His 100% Oscar Prediction for Ramayana

Nitish Bharadwaj, the actor many still know as Lord Krishna from B.R. Chopra’s 1988 Mahabharat, has walked back his glowing verdict on Ramayana. After watching the film, he says he is “deeply upset and disappointed” and has withdrawn his earlier appreciation.

A dramatic U-turn

Bharadwaj’s first reaction was lavish. He praised the production design, cinematography and VFX, thanked composer Hans Zimmer for collaborating with Indian cinema, and said the film deserved “100% Oscar recognition” in the Best Foreign Film category. He had even planned to watch it at least five times.

That enthusiasm is gone. In his updated statement, he said Yash’s Ravana comes across as “an exceptionally liberal, socially just and fair figure,” and argued that this “alters the moral framework of the Ramayan and undermines the very purpose of avataar.”

“I withdraw my initial appreciation,” he said, adding that he could not find a single good word to say about the film. He also drew a line between surface spectacle and deeper meaning, saying a VFX-heavy experience cannot stand in for the core values, philosophical depth and spiritual essence of the Mahakavya.

Why this matters for film fans

Ramayana may be doing well at the global box office, but the conversation is splitting between visual scale and fidelity to the epic. Bharadwaj is not the only veteran to speak up. Mukesh Khanna recently criticised the portrayal of Sita, adding to a broader question about how mythological stories should be reimagined for the big screen.

The tension here is familiar for Hindi cinema audiences. A modern blockbuster can deliver world-class imagery and still run into trouble if its character choices change the moral centre of a much-loved story. For fans of the 1988 Mahabharat, hearing its Krishna make the case for the epic’s philosophical weight carries extra resonance.

• First take: lavish praise, Oscar talk and five planned viewings.
• After viewing: complete rejection of the film’s reading of Ravana.
• The objection: Ravana as liberal and fair reshapes the Ramayan’s moral frame.
• The wider moment: Mukesh Khanna has already questioned the Sita portrayal.

What to watch next

For now, the film’s box office run continues, but the veteran-led critique is likely to keep the discussion alive. Fans should watch the film first, compare its character choices with the epic, and decide whether the visual experience justifies the reinterpretation. More cinema personalities may weigh in as the debate grows.

Source: 123telugu.com