Manoj Muntashir Says ‘Adipurush’ is His Biggest Regret

Writer and lyricist Manoj Muntashir has admitted that writing the dialogues for Adipurush remains one of his biggest regrets.

He has also confessed that publicly defending the film after its release was an even greater mistake in hindsight.

Manoj made the candid admissions during a conversation on Times Now’s podcast Baatein Dil Se, speaking with remarkable openness.

He revealed that his wife had advised him against defending Adipurush publicly even before the film was released in theatres.

Nearly six months before the release, trolling and questions directed at the makers had already begun circulating widely online.

His wife had feared that Manoj would become the public face of the intense backlash that was already beginning to build.

Looking back at that period, Manoj admitted with considerable candour that he deeply regrets not listening to her counsel.

“In the beginning, I was a bit dismissive. It took me two days to understand.

“Adipurush was the biggest mistake of my life, and defending that film was an even bigger mistake.

“Whatever happened around the film, I’m very ashamed of it, and I beg the forgiveness of this country for all that had happened.”

The writer also admitted feeling a deep sense of personal disappointment for not doing justice to Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman.

He acknowledged that some of his remarks at the time, including comments about Lord Hanuman, had been taken out of context.

However, he did not use that as an excuse and added: “Now, when I look back, I am ashamed that I wrote them.

“I don’t know what I was thinking when I wrote them.”

His honest and unguarded reflection has since drawn significant attention and discussion across social media platforms and beyond.

Adipurush had been one of the most eagerly anticipated Indian films heading into its theatrical release in 2023.

Directed by Om Raut and produced by T-Series and Retrophiles, the film was inspired by the revered Hindu epic Ramayana.

It starred Prabhas as Raghava, Kriti Sanon as Janaki, Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh and Sunny Singh as Shesh in key roles.

Devdatta Nage portrayed Bajrang in what was expected to be one of the grandest cinematic celebrations of the Ramayana ever mounted.

The film was made on a reported budget of around Rs 600 crore, making it one of the most expensive Indian productions ever.

It released in theatres on June 16, 2023 and opened to strong box office numbers amid enormous pre-release anticipation from audiences.

However, the initial excitement quickly gave way to widespread and deeply severe criticism from viewers and critics across the country.

The film’s visual effects, dialogues, characterisation and modern reinterpretation of the sacred epic all drew sustained and intense negative reactions.

Several specific dialogues caused significant controversy and sparked public outrage, prompting the makers to revise some lines after release.

Despite grossing over Rs 390 crore worldwide, Adipurush was ultimately considered a major commercial failure given its enormous production budget.