15 Hidden Clues In The Ramayana Trailer

From Ravana's divine weapon to Ranbir Kapoor's double role, the Ramayana trailer hides several fascinating details in plain sight.

No matter how many adaptations you make of it, good or bad, there is always this fascination among Indian filmmakers to find ways to bring one of India's biggest epics, the Ramayana, to the screen in some form or another.

We have seen faithful adaptations (Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan), we have seen modern retellings (Baaghi), and we have seen whatever the heck Adipurush was.

Now it is time for Nitesh Tiwari to bring his own vision to the Ramayana in what would be its grandest and most expensive adaptation yet.

Produced by VFX innovator Namit Malhotra, the saga is being told in two parts, apparently made on an exorbitant budget of Rs 4,000 crore.

The film also features a huge cast, with Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravan, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman, Arun Govil as Dasharath, Rakul Preet Singh as Shurpanakha, Vivek Oberoi as Vidyutjivha and Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, among others.

The new trailer provides enough glimpses of the movie's vast VFX canvas and its important characters. It looks to be a faithful retelling of Valmiki's Ramayana.

WATCH: Ramayana Trailer

Some of the major events showcased in the trailer include the rise of Ravan by defeating Kubera and taking over Lanka, the evolution of Prince Rama, his marriage to Sita, his exile to the Dandaka forest with Sita and Lakshman, Bharat taking his brother's sandals and placing them on the throne, and Shurpanakha's humiliation, which leads to Ravan kidnapping Sita and carrying her to Lanka in the Pushpaka Vimana. We also see Lord Ram and Lakshman frantically searching for her.

If Sita Haran is going to be the focus of the first part, then Part 2 would be about Lanka Dahan. Curiously, Sunny Deol's Hanuman wasn't featured in the trailer. Perhaps he will only be introduced towards the end of the first part, before playing a major role in the second.

Apart from these major events, there are some interesting details in the trailer that aren't overtly covered but hold great significance if you have read the Ramayana.

Sreeju Sudhakaran explores some hidden details in the trailer, along with interesting subplots and characters that are teased but not properly shown.

Indra vs Ravan

Not content with taking over Lanka from his half-brother Kubera, the God of Wealth, Ravan goes on to conquer heaven and hell, which puts him in direct conflict with Lord Indra, the ruler of the heavens.

We see the flying elephant Airavata in the trailer, with Indra possibly sitting atop him, before Ravan crashes into the elephant, sending him hurtling towards the ground.

Interestingly, in the stories, it is Ravan's son Meghnad who defeats Indra, hence earning the name Indrajit. Kunal Kapoor is playing Indra in the movie.

Indra Praying To Lord Vishnu?

There is a brief glimpse of someone praying to the celestial form of Lord Vishnu. It could be Indra, after his humiliating defeat, asking the Lord to reincarnate on Earth and defeat Ravan.

Putrakameshti Yajna

King Dasharath of Ayodhya is introduced in the trailer sitting with his wives before a sacred fire ritual of Putrakameshti Yajna, performed so that they can have children.

Seeing the colour of the fire turn bluish, it is implied that their wish is being granted, with Lord Vishnu himself destined to be born as one of their sons.

The Babies

In this scene, King Dasharath heralds his eldest son, Lord Ram, but it is interesting to note one detail about two of his wives in the background. One is Kaushalya (Indira Krishnan) and the other is Sumitra (Sonal Jha), and both are holding babies in their arms.

Sumitra gave birth to twins, Lakshman and Shatrughan, so we presume she is holding them. Kaushalya is also holding a baby, who should be Lord Ram, Dasharath's firstborn.

Sita's Sisters

In this scene where Sita is shown walking towards Lord Ram for their wedding, the two women walking beside her are possibly not merely bridal attendants. They could be her sister Urmila, who weds Lakshman, and one of her cousins, Mandavi, who marries Bharat, or Shrutakirti, who marries Shatrughan.

Sharanga Bow

It is a well-known tale that Lord Ram won Sita's hand at her swayamvar by breaking Pinaka, the celestial bow of Lord Shiva.

This angers Lord Parashurama, a huge Shiva bhakt, who confronts Lord Ram, and we see a scene where Lord Ram coolly tackles Parashurama's famous axe.

We also see Parashurama humbly prostrating before Lord Ram and offering him his own bow, Sharanga. Sharanga was the bow of Vishnu which was crafted by the celestial architect, Vishwakarma, which was later passed on to Parashurama.

So this in a way, is Parashurama passing the baton on to Lord Ram, one Vishnu avatar to another.

Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Parashurama?

Lord Parashurama and Lord Ram are both avatars of Lord Vishnu. While it has not been revealed who is playing Lord Parashurama and we do not see his face clearly in the trailer, there is a strong possibility that it is Ranbir Kapoor behind that bearded appearance.

Mareech Pulling His Tricks

Saurabh Sachdeva is playing the rakshasa Mareech who has magical powers and who is tasked by Ravan with tricking Lord Ram and Lakshman into leaving the hut, thereby leaving Sita alone.

This scene is perhaps him using his powers to turn himself into the golden deer that prompts Lord Ram to hunt it at Sita's request.

Lakshman Rekha

Blink and you miss it, but there is a brief glimpse of Lakshman shooting an arrow into the ground, which then appears to form a circle around Sita and the hut.

Of course, this is the famous Lakshman Rekha, that was meant to protect Sita. Well, we all know what happened next.

Sita Crossing The Lakshman Rekha

A couple of scenes later, we also get a brief glimpse of what looks like Sita's feet crossing the Lakshman Rekha after being tricked by Ravan in disguise.

This, of course, leads to her being kidnapped by him and taken to Lanka in his lotus-shaped Pushpaka Vimana.

Jatayu, at the cost of his life, then attacks Ravan in an attempt to rescue Sita.

Krodha

Krodha, or 'anger', is considered one of the traits symbolised by one of Ravan's ten heads. In some retellings, it takes the physical form of a lion-like creature that becomes one of Ravan's beastly companions.

We might have seen that animal in the trailer, the same creature that Ravana intimidates by roaring back at it.

Chandrahasa

In one scene in the trailer, we see Ravan, possibly during his battle against Lord Indra, wielding a dual sword that may be Chandrahasa, the divine weapon given to him by Lord Shiva.

The Killing Of Vidyutjivha

After defeating Kubera, Ravan becomes more powerful when he duels with and kills Vidyutjivha, who is played in the movie by Vivek Oberoi.

This is not merely a rivalry. Vidyutjivha was secretly married to Shurpanakha, Ravan's sister, and Ravan killed him after learning about their relationship, unwilling to see his sister married to his rival.

The guilt over this is said to have motivated him to appease his sister by kidnapping Sita after Lakshman cuts off Shurpanakha's nose.

Sita The Warrior Princess

Most of the Ramayana stories we are told or shown present Sita Ma primarily as the dutiful wife, but we rarely get to see her warrior side.

Author Amish Tripathi's Ramachandra book series, which is his revisionist reinterpretation of the Ramayana, focuses on the warrior traits of the Mithila princess, which could also have inspired Nitesh Tiwari's take on the character here.

Kajal Aggarwal's Hand?

Kajal Aggarwal plays Mandodari, Ravana's honour-bound and righteous wife, in the movie. Though we never get a clear look at her in the trailer, there is a chance we might have glimpsed her hand when a woman applies a tilak to Ravan's forehead.

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff