Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha may not have found much love at the box office, but its producer Prakash Mahobiya now believes the film did not get a fair chance. In a new interview, Prakash has alleged that the mythological drama was subjected to “negative marketing.”
He also hinted that the arrival of another big budget Ramayana may have contributed to the online campaign against his film. The obvious question is: is Ranbir Kapoor’s Ramayana now being blamed for the film’s failure?
Prakash Mahobiya claimed that YouTubers and influencers were allegedly encouraged to spread negative information and ask audiences not to watch the film. He also said that the makers are considering a theatrical re-release because, according to him, “we never got a chance to reach our audience.”
There is, however, a rather glaring problem with this argument. Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha did not merely face criticism online. The film itself was subjected to widespread trolling because viewers questioned its execution, presentation and overall quality. For audiences who found the film disappointing, the issue was not simply whether they had been influenced by social media. They had watched the film and formed their own opinions.
That makes the attempt to connect its poor reception with the upcoming Ramayana, featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash, particularly questionable. Prakash himself admits that he does not know for sure whether such a campaign existed.
A Ramayana adaptation failing to connect with audiences is one thing. Blaming an upcoming film based on the same epic without concrete evidence is another. If Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha gets a re-release, it will ultimately have to win audiences on its own merits. Social media may influence perception, but it cannot entirely manufacture an audience’s reaction to a film they have actually seen.
