She added, “So when you look at things like that, there are so many possibilities of what could have happened, should have happened, whatever. So I think it's not that far off or it's not that far-fetched to think that Sita was also possibly very much trained in the art of warfare. And especially, I mean, I just say that when you're put into a situation like that also as a woman, you're not going to be a helpless woman.”
Lara further said that a character like Sita, who chooses to spend 14 years in exile in the forest, would also have to be resilient. “At some point, she will pick up something to defend herself. You have to stop being so small-minded, you know, and also embrace the cinematic experience,” she said.
The Adbhuta Ramayana depicts Sita's fierce and divine aspect, in which she assumes a powerful form, often associated with Goddess Kali, to defeat Sahasra Ravana, a thousand-headed demon. On the other hand, Indian audiences have largely grown up watching adaptations of Valmiki's Ramayana, including Ramanand Sagar's television series Ramayan.
