Page - 32 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 07/02

32 | Genoveva Castro www.jrfm.eu 2021, 7/2, 31–53 this instance, the Rāmāyaṇa is not a source in the singular, but rather an intricate and long tradition that includes literature, performance, and film. Sheldon Pollock claims that the Rāmāyaṇa “with its demonizing imaginary provides, as does no other Indian text, a conceptual instrument for the utter dichotomization of the enemy.”2 This article focuses on Raavan (2010) be- cause the film, instead of vilifying the antagonist, transforms the Rāmāyaṇa into a morally ambiguous narrative in which the dichotomy between good and evil is overturned. The motives of the villain are validated, the virtues of the hero are understated, and there is criticism of those who are empow- ered by the state as well as sympathy for the traditional enemy. In his theory of adaptation, Stam also emphasizes that although the source is central, the context in which the adaptation is made also plays an important role and reveals ideological trends.3 Ratnam transposes the battle between gods and demons to highlight a contemporary conflict between the police and oppressed forest villagers, thus making a critical statement about modern-day India. Although the movie seems to be realizing a radical reading of the epic, role reversals are not absent in the Rāmāyaṇa tradition. I will provide a summary of the Rāmāyaṇa, consider interpretations of the battle between Rāvaṇa and Rāma, and then move to screen adaptations of the story. The analysis will focus on specific scenes in Mani Ratnam’s film, contrasting it with distinct renderings of Rāvaṇa in literature. The Rāmāyaṇa Story The textual richness of the Rāmāyaṇa attests to the cultural significance of the narrative.4 It is important to acknowledge how the literary renderings are reimagined in text and on screen and inserted in a manifold history of adaptation. The story of the Rāmāyaṇa has been revisited by filmmakers for over a hundred years. The “demon” Rāvaṇa has not been fully reinvented by Indian cinema, but rather is nourished by literary traditions that are worth exploring in order to understand how the character has been represented. On the textual front, the retellings of the Rāmāyaṇa are vast and have evolved in multiple directions. In a nutshell, the narrative is frequently 2 Pollock 1993, 281. 3 Stam 2005, 45. 4 See Richman 1991; 2000; 2008.