
The iconic animated film titled “Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama”, a collaborative Indo-Japanese production made in 1993 will be officially screened at the Indian Parliament on February 15.
Distribution company Geek Pictures organized this event following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mention of the film during his recent Mann Ki Baat broadcast, in which he highlighted the religious film’s global appeal and its contribution to India-Japan diplomatic bonds.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla along with members of Parliament and cultural dignitaries will reportedly attend the screening at the Indian Parliament.
This film was originally directed by Yugo Sako, Ram Mohan, and Koichi Sasaki yet encountered political obstacles during its initial release in 1993 due to political and communal sensitivity in India. However, the animated movie later gained acclaim through television broadcasts in the early 2000s.
The animated film has now returned with 4K resolution with Hindi, Tamil and Telugu dubbing alongside its original English tracks. The re-released movie features new voice actors including Yudhvir Dahiya who voiced the lord Ram character and Sonal Kaushal as Sita.
Notably, the movie’s Hindi and Tamil dubs starring Arun Govil as Rama alongside Amrish Puri as Raavan were not reused reportedly due to missing master control data.
Geek Pictures co-founder Arjun Aggarwal praised the parliamentary special screening and described the development as honouring India’s cultural history. He stated that the film would generate catharsis and connections between people of different generations and appreciate the ancient epic’s life lessons.
The screening demonstrates public interest in the Ramayana that led to the creation of epic-related projects like Adipurush and an upcoming live-action adaptation starring Ranbir Kapoor.
The classic made its big screen return after its premiering at the 1993 International Film Festival of India and public screenings during the Mahakumbh Festival of 1995.