Indian Movies That Aptly Succeeded in the Modern-day Retelling of Mythologies

In the current generation when specific genres have attributed the pleasurable experience to viewers, mythological tales have stayed far behind in accruing the target audience. Whether it be the triumph of Pandavas over Kauravas or Lord Ram’s valiant efforts to crush demon Raavan, there is a generic thrill as we listen to it. In recent years although the urge has been met with the irresistible work of filmmakers, there is a scarce growth over it. As most of the screenplay adaptations of movies has been the literary conversion of folklore, the modern rendition of mythologies has been limited.

In Mymovierack we have etched out the best list of Indian movies that every movie buff must watch for the contemporary narration of mythologies

This exquisite ManiRathnam directorial is a paradoxical rendition of Ramayana. The film explicitly portrays the characters as that of Ramayana with an unusual exploration of the villain (Raavan) and heroine (sita). The 2010 Tamil blockbuster revolves around the cat and mouse chase between a Cop and a villain, featuring Dev (Prithviraj Sukumaran) and Veera (Vikram) after Veera kidnaps Dev’s wife while killing a few of his men.

The narration has been done with an ulterior perspective of exploring the dark and good shades of both characters. Santosh Sivan's immaculate camera works are an unbelievable element of this film which has instilled life within characters by making it more tangible. To take a note of it, the beginning scene would be a perfect example in which Vikram is seen to be jumping from a cliff which exemplifies the lyricism and mellowness of human's intersection with nature.

As the film begins we acknowledge that various characters are deliberately structured in comparison to the characters of Ramayana which includes Dev (Lord Ram), Raagini ( Lord Sita), Raavanan (Raavan), Gyaan Prakashan(Lord Hanuman), and Vennila (Srupan Rakha). The film set out to be a benchmark in novelty with its contrast of original characters from Ramayana.

This 1981 movie directed by most celebrated director Shyam Benegal is a modern-day rendition of Indian mythology Mahabharata. The plot of this movie revolves around the dispute between two affluent industrial families Puranchand and Khubchand for a lucrative government contract. As viewers with little understanding of Mahabharata’s plot could relate the feud between both families as that of Pandava and Kaurava, but the subtlety of this family tension makes it a more gripping watch. It features Raj Babbar, Rekha, Sashi Kapoor, and victor Banerjee in lead roles.

This political thriller directed by veteran filmmaker Prakash Jha could be regarded as the best contemporary narrative of Mahabharata. Prakash Jha in his best terms has kept the characters in the same equilibrium with that of Mahabharata. The film revolves around the story of Samar Pratap (Ranbir Kapoor) who returns to India from abroad to take charge of his father’s political party(Janshakti party) after his brother Prithvi Pratap has suffered a heart stroke.

If you take a peek look at this political thriller you can sense the greed and obsession for the throne which has been a frequent subject in Mahabharata. Audiences acquainted with the roots of Mahabharata could easily decipher Manoj Bajpayee aka Veerendra Pratap as Duryodhana and Arjun Rampal as Yudhistir because both of their paths are crossed despite being from the same heir. As the story moves forward it unravels Ranbir Kapoor aka Samar Pratap as the principal character of Arjuna who comes to take the lead and Nana Patekar aka Brij Mohan as Lord Krishna who gives his indispensable advice to arjuna to tackle the difficulties.

This is a powerful feminist tale with spooky layers to its story. This movie could be touted as the best rendition of Bengali folklore due to the gritty and dark shade of its female protagonist.

Bulbbul directed by Anvita Dutt Guplan follows the story of pre-reform periods around the 1880s when child marriage was legitimate. The story revolves around Bulbul who had been married to an affluent Zamindar at the age of five and her accession from softness to aggression. There have been various subplots that are similar to that of Tagore's novels.

The paranormal stories stemming from the belligerence of witches had many resemblances to Bengali cult classics. The film had received mixed reviews from critics despite its strong performances from lead characters. It had featured Tripti Dhimri, Avinash Tiwari, Paoli Dam, and Rahul Bose in lead roles.