In Sita Ramam, the mythological couple Ram and Sita find an innovative set-up to re-enter Indian cinema, which is already famous for using the pair as a favorite reference to depict 'divine and pure love'.
Switching between the two timelines set in Kashmir — the 1960s and 1980s, Sita Ramam is a poignant love story wherein, a war-like situation plays cupid to ignite the romance between Ram (Dulquer Salmaan) and Sita Mahalakshmi (Mrunal Thakur).
Ram who is an Indian army officer is a humanitarian first, before a patriot. Unlike the bullets and fires that one would anticipate in the context of Ram’s character, Sita Ramam surprises us like a bouquet of beautiful flowers and poetry.
The story starts with an angry young lady Afreen (Rashmika Mandanna), tasked to handover a letter from Ram to Sita, which had been undelivered for 20 years. What was the reason behind it? Why was Afreen made to do this? How is Afreen, a Pakistani Muslim connected to the couple? Why is the plot set in the lands of Kashmir? The rest of the story answers these questions.
The cinematography of the movie is top notch, as Sita Ramam is a visually aesthetic film, which lenses out gorgeous visuals of the actors and picturesque locales. Dulquer and Mrunal too, render compelling performances and are a treat to watch on screen.
There are some excellent dialogues about patriotism and religious beliefs in the film that convince you, that Sita Ramam is more than just a love story. For instance, there is a scene where Ram says that he hopes the terrorist understands Quran at least in his next life, so that he doesn't blame Islam anymore for his terrorism. "You don’t have to spew hatred on a neighboring country to prove the love for your country," is another one that creates a huge impact.
The film shows how poignant it is for soldiers to have a ‘normal’ romantic life. They need to take a long time off even to go on a date. In addition, the nation’s call of duty makes their relationships uncertain and at most times, even compels them to sacrifice their lives.
However, it is painful to see prominent actors like Prakash Raj and Gautham Vasudev Menon not being employed, even to their minimal abilities. The plot twists, to an extent, are predictable. There are loose ends in the first half that are partly justified towards the end while some remain unanswered. For instance, you might wonder if Ram and Afreen have Prosopagnosia (difficulty to recognize or remember faces), as some of the most important aspects of the narrative are unconvincing because of their lack of clarity.
Explaining it further will make it a spoiler. Hence, watch the film and I strongly believe you will come back with this doubt too. Despite these shortcomings, Sita Ramam delivers a poignant love story laced with socio-political messaging.
The pan-Indian film is running in cinemas now.
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