Adipurush dialogues being changed, says writer Manoj Muntashir day after defending his tapori words

Since Adipurush opened in Indian theatres on June 15 (Friday), the disappointed audiences have been quite vocal about the cringe-inducing dialogues that have made the Ramayana adaptation an unpleasant viewing experience (amid other complaints). 

ALSO READ: Adipurush Review: Even Saif Ali Khan cannot salvage this visually abysmal Ramayana adaptation

From Hanuman saying, “Tel tere baap ka, aag tere baap ki, jalegi bhi tere baap ki?” to Ravaan’s son Indrajit (who just by the way is played by the kid from Tarzan The Wonder Car) unintentionally giving off sexual innuendoes like “Mere ek sapole ne tumhara shesh naag lamba kar diya”, dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir is getting flak for maintaining an inconsistent tone throughout Adipurush. 

Even though most of the dialogues spoken by Raghav (he’s never called Ram) are in an archaic “shudh Hindi”, Hanuman (who's known as Bajrang throughout the film) and others can have a more modern Bollywood dialogue-style lingo. 

ALSO READ: Jaani Dushman dominates Adipurush Twitter reactions, with sympathies for Raavan

Manoj Muntashir now says that he was just “inspired by Ramayan” 

But now Muntashir is also under fire for disproving himself. Over eight months ago, the screenwriter appeared with director Om Raut for an interview with ABP news where he said, 

Well, it seems like Muntashir’s idea of Ramayana is clearly different, considering that Adipurush is filled with Raavan riding a bat-dragon, a film dialogue-generator for a Hanuman, a moustached Ram and what not. 

Now, following the Adipurush backlash, Muntashir is back with a new explanation for the press. As he revealed in an interview with Aaj Tak, 

Muntashir’s Twitter rant reveals that the dialogues will be changed

On June 18 (Sunday), Muntashir tweeted out a long rant where he touched upon the hate that he has been getting over the weekend. The statement was not apologetic however, but Muntashir’s justification on how 5 offensive lines can’t make people judge his screenplay (which he claims has 4,000 lines). 

He also adds that along with the hate, he also deserved praise for writing Adipurush’s dialogues. Why? Because...

He ends the tweet with a “Jai Shree Ram” preceded by an assurance that he and the producers and directors are working on changing the theatrical cut with revised dialogues. 

What were the weirdest dialogues of Adipurush? 

When Hanuman visits Sita at the Ashok Vatika, one of Raavan’s minions asks him, “Yeh teri bua ka bageecha hai kya ki hawa khaane aagaya?” (“Is this your aunt’s garden that you came here to enjoy the breeze?”)

When Hanuman’s tail is being burnt, Raavan’s son Indrajit asks him, “Teri jali na?” (“It’s burning, right?”). To this, Hanuman says, “Tel tere baap ke, aag tere baap ki, jalegi bhi tere baap ki?” (“Your father’s oil. Your father’s fire. Your father’s … will also burn!”). 

Later, when Indrajit boasts on how one of his minions managed to outsmart Ram, he tells him, “Mere ek sapole ne toh tumhara shesh naag lamba kar diya.” (“One of my snakes has increased the size of your shesh naag”). Why would anyone talk about “size” of “snakes” on the battlefield? Guess Muntashir is satirically commenting on toxic masculinity? Probably not.

Anyway, looks like Adipurush will now feature edited dialogues in theatres. Too little, too late. Meanwhile, Muntashir is so concerned for his safety now that he's demanding sepcial security from Mumbai Police.