Will revise dialogues that hurt sentiments: 'Adipurush' dialogue writer
Mumbai (PTI): "Adipurush" dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir Shukla on Sunday said the makers of the mythological epic film have decided to "revise some of the dialogues", after the Prabhas-starrer was criticised heavily for its pedestrian language.
Shukla, who has penned the Hindi dialogues and songs of the retelling of the Ramayana, said the amended lines will be added to the film by this week.
"...For me there is nothing greater than your feelings. I can give countless arguments in favour of my dialogues, but this will not lessen your pain. Me and the producer-director of the film have decided that we will revise some of the dialogues which are hurting you and they will be added to the film this week," Shukla said in a statement shared on his official Twitter account.
"Adipurush", which was released across the country in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil on Friday, stars Prabhas as Raghav (Ram), Kriti Sanon as Janaki (Sita) and Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh (Raavan).
Directed by Om Raut and produced by T-Series, big-budget multilingual saga "Adipurush" has been panned on social media over its poor VFX and colloquial dialogues, with Shukla under fire for Lord Hanuman's dialogues in the 'Lanka Dahan' sequence, among others.
Many viewers and political party leaders pointed out the oversimplified language used by the characters, especially Bajrang (Hanuman) played by Devdatta Nage.
In his statement, which he wrote in Hindi, Shukla said it is possible that in a three-hour film he may have written "something different from your imagination for 3 minutes of duration", but viewers shouldn't hurry to label him as a "Sanatan drohi".
"The first lesson one can learn from Ramkatha is to respect every emotion. What is right or wrong changes with time, but the feeling is constant.
"I wrote more than 4,000 lines as dialogues in 'Adipurush', some sentiments got hurt on five of those lines. In those hundreds of lines, where Shri Ram was glorified, Maa Sita's chastity was described, I was hoping to receive praise for them, which I don't know why I did not get," he added.
The writer-lyricist, who won the National Film Award for best lyrics in "Saina", said he had no complaints with the audience.
"If we stand against each other, Sanatan will lose. We have made 'Adipurush' for Sanatan Seva, it's a film which you are watching in large numbers and I believe you will watch in future as well," he further said.
Later, T-Series said the team has decided to make alterations to the dialogues of "Adipurush" in order to value "the input of the public".
"'Adipurush' is garnering an overwhelming response across the world and is conquering hearts of audiences across all ages. Making this visual spectacle a memorable cinematic experience, the team decides to make alterations to the film's dialogues Valuing the input of the public and the audience," the banner said in a separate statement.
The makers are revisiting the said dialogues, ensuring to resonate with core essence of the film and the same will reflect in the theatres in the next few days, said T-Series.
"This decision is a testament that in spite of unstoppable collections at the Box Office, the team is committed and nothing is beyond the sentiments of their audiences and harmony at large," the production house added.
Mounted on a reported budget of Rs 500 crore, "Adipurush" has raised Rs 240 crore in two days, the makers claimed.
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Like Rohit and Virat, Sanju can''t be replaced: Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag
Jaipur (PTI): Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag on Thursday said Sanju Samson's void cannot be filled in his side, likening the challenge to replacing stalwarts like Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli.
Sanju, who led the Royals from 2021 to 2025, was traded to Chennai Super Kings in a pre-season move, with Ravindra Jadeja coming in as part of the deal.
"If you talk about Sanju bhaiya, we never think about replacing the kind of player he is," Parag told reporters in a pre-season press conference here.
"We can perhaps look for someone with a similar skillset or have someone bat in his position...
"It’s like there is no replacement for Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma... In the same way, there is no replacement for Sanju bhaiya because he is such a good player,” Parag said.
Having represented the franchise for 11 years across two stints, Sanju was RR's most successful captain and leading run-scorer, having guided them to the IPL 2022 final and the playoffs in 2024.
His stature has only grown manifold following a stellar T20 World Cup campaign, where he struck three successive match-defining half-centuries to power India to a historic treble and title defence.
India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final with Sanju being adjudged the Player-of-the-Tournament.
Rajasthan Royals had a forgettable last season, enduring 10 defeats to finish ninth in the 10=team standings.
Parag, who has been picked as the captain following Sanju's exit, said RR lost far too many close matches last year and the 2008 winners need better strategy and planning.
“This year, the focus is to plan better and finish games, which we couldn’t do in the previous edition," he said.
"We need to plan well. Last year, there were about 5-6 games which we lost in the last over or even on the last ball. Had we been able to convert those, or had we calculated better, this question (if RR would try anything new) would not have been asked because we would have qualified (for knockouts) by winning those matches," he said.
"I think that in every T20 game, there are 3-4 decisions that you have to make which change the course of the game. If we take those small decisions with strategy and planning, this year will be different," Parag added.
He further expressed his gratitude to the franchise for keeping their faith in him despite several seasons of struggle.
"I was here when I was just 17 and I have seen all the ups and downs, though more downs than ups till now. I want to thank Rajasthan Royals for supporting me and understanding the cricketer I am,” Parag said.
Sangakkara backs Parag -- the skipper
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The Royals’ director of cricket and head coach Kumar Sangakkara said he has always “admired” Parag as a cricketer and he was picked as a skipper after a robust round of interviews with other candidates.
"It was about trying to find the best person who can lead the Rajasthan Royals. I (first) met Riyan when he was a teenager and have admired him as a cricketer. He's right (when he says) he has gone through a lot and seen a lot," Sangakkara said.
"The most striking thing for me was (to see) how reflective and mature he has become."
“To select a captain once Sanju decided to leave, it was very important that we explore all options. We had shortlisted some candidates that we had a very strict interview process for. Riyan knows the questions were hard. At the end of the day Manoj (Badale) and I sat down and it was evident that the right choice to lead Rajasthan was Riyan,” Sangakkara added.
