Ramayana music misses the local flavour, says Sunil Lahri

The upcoming Ramayana, led by Ranbir Kapoor and also starring Sai Pallavi and Yash, has found an affectionate but honest well-wisher in Sunil Lahri, the actor Indian television viewers remember as Lakshman from Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan. In a video shared on X, Lahri said he has not seen Nitesh Tiwari’s new film and does not consider himself a critic of the epic. Yet his message carried both warmth and a specific musical worry, arriving amid continuing chatter around the film’s casting, VFX and music.

He called the Ramayana a great epic, “not just for us Indians, but for the entire humanity of the world.” He said he has “complete faith” in Tiwari and the artists, and he prayed for the film’s success because it is a big-budget picture on which many livelihoods depend.

The praise, and the one caveat

Lahri’s goodwill matters because he remains part of the audience’s memory of this story. But he also made a careful distinction: he is not opposed to the new adaptation; he is listening for how it carries culture, value, sentiment, emotion and belief through its music.

His caveat was precise. He said music is the backbone of an epic poem, and some of the songs and sounds he has heard have disappointed him a bit. The missing element, in his view, is the local flavour of Mithila and Ayodhya, which should sit inside the music behind the songs.

Why the music comment lands differently

The score was always going to be a talking point because A. R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer are attached. That pairing raises expectations of a grand, global sound. Lahri’s point is more grounded: a story set in Mithila and Ayodhya needs regional and folk textures, not only orchestral sweep.

This is a useful lens for Hindi film fans. When the songs play in the theatre, listen for the folk colours that place a scene in Mithila, and the textures that belong to Ayodhya. That is the test Lahri has set, and it is a fair one for a film carrying this much cultural weight.

Lahri framed the stakes plainly. He said he is not merely hoping; he has complete faith. For a film that is arriving in cinemas worldwide, that blend of belief and caution is exactly the kind of attention a cultural retelling deserves.

• Lahri said he has not seen the film and is not a critic of the epic.
• He praised Tiwari and the cast and wished the film success.
• His one disappointment is that some songs lack the local flavour of Mithila or Ayodhya.
• He called music the backbone of an epic and asked everyone to protect this heritage.

Whether the full soundtrack answers that concern will become clearer once audiences experience the film as a whole. Until then, the debate is a healthy one: it is not about whether the Ramayana should be told again, but how its sound should remember where it comes from.

Source: The Times of India