The epic Ramayana has remained a favourite down the generations. The story has been told and retold over the years and still, it seems that there are so many unexplored aspects of the tale. One such attempt of unveiling the unexplored has pushed Green Gold Animation in creating Hanuman vs Mahiravana, a mythological animated movie, based on an untold story of the great epic.
Distributed by Yash Raj Films, the movie begins with kids—Jai and Maya who accompany their father to an archaeological excavation site along with their pet squirrel, Idli. There they bump into Dr. Dev, an archaeologist and their father’s boss, who then shows them a recently excavated mural which dates back to the time of the great war between Rama and Ravana and depicts the story of Mahiravana—the king of the underworld.
The film moves forward with Dr. Dev narrating the story of the epic that finds the quest to rescue princess Sita coming to an end as Rama and his battalion of monkeys, led by their king—Sugreev, make their final push for victory against the demon king of Lanka. In the ensuing battle, Rama defeats and disarms Ravana, by breaking the wheel of his chariot and bringing him to the ground. But he magnanimously spares Ravana, as it is against the law of war to kill or defeat a tired and disarmed man.
That night, Ravana unleashes his most powerful ally—his brother Mahiravana, a dark and powerful sorcerer who is nothing but a shadow. He casts a blanket of illusion and deception over Rama’s army while the unseen enemy captures Rama and Lakshmana. Mahiravana intends to kill the two princes at daybreak to fulfill a prophecy that demands a sacrifice of a huge number of princes which will make him invincible.
The movie showcases Hanuman’s loyalty and valour as he embarks on the journey and races against time to save the princes from the clutches of the evil sorcerer who’s aided by Rishi Tameshra’s black magic skills.
The film is visually stunning with high-end technology, animation, and VFX that appeals to younger and older generations alike. Made in Stereoscopic 3D, the film lets the audience enjoy the adventure to the fullest alongside Hanuman. The story is beautifully scripted and enables the viewers to get immersed in it. The fight sequences truly demand appreciation as they are too good to be real.
The director Ezhil Vendan has given equal importance to the characterisation. Hanuman is shown to be carefree and mischievous as he is best known. He could have been portrayed to be more serious given the fact he is the titular character, but the kids would perhaps love this ‘avatar’ of him as it is more relatable to them. The characterisation of Mahiravana surely takes the show as it’s crafted amazingly emphasising on the nitty-gritties of his characteristics. The others—Vivishan, Sugreev, Rama, Lakshmana are commendable as well with Sita being present only in Rama’s imagination.
Produced by Green Gold in association with Gamaya and to be released across 350 screens in Hindi, and more than 25 screens in Tamil on 6 July, Hanuman vs Mahiravana is an absolute delight to watch and provides our heritage and mythology the attention it deserves.
