New Delhi:

Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana has arrived in cinemas, and mixed reviews are out. Sai Pallavi, who plays Sita in the epic, has been facing endless criticism ever since the first look of Ramayana was unveiled. Now, after the film's release, the latest backlash is over Sita fighting demons alongside Lord Rama in the forest.

Some audience members are of the view that Sita never fought alongside Lord Rama and that this is a distortion of facts.

Internet Reactions

One user wrote, "Another fraud from #Ramayana, or should I say Scamyana. We're seeing Sita Maa fight here, helping Shri Ram fight the 14,000-strong demon army of Khara and Dushana, while according to scriptures, Shri Ram fought all of them alone, sending Lakshman and Sita Maa away."

Another person commented, "Uhhhh, Lord Rama fought the whole army alone... the description of the fight in the Ramayana is brutal. He was covered in the blood of those demons. Maa Sita was feminine, and Lord Ram would never let her enter the battlefield."

"First in my bloodline to know that Sita Mata fought with demons," read another comment.

Some fans defended the warrior avatar of Sita, writing, "Why do people have a problem with Sita Maa's warrior appearance? In Adbhuta Ramayana, another version of the original Ramayana written by Valmiki, Sita Maa is described as a fierce divine force who destroys raakshasas."

What's Written In Scriptures

As per the Valmiki Ramayana, there is no reference to Sita fighting alongside Lord Rama against demons during their 14 years of exile.

Ram's brother Lakshman defeated Surpanakha, and both brothers together fought the demon Viradha. As for Rama, he also marched ahead alone to combat Khara and Dushana and their army.

There is also the Adbhuta Ramayana, which portrays Sita as a powerful manifestation of Goddess Shakti. The text states that when Rama is defeated by the thousand-headed Ravana (Sahasra Ravana), it is Sita who takes the form of Mahakali and fights the demon herself. This version does show Sita in a powerful role, but the series of events still differs from what is depicted in the film.

Nitesh Tiwari On Taking 'Liberties With Certain Characters'

The filmmaker had shared his views on tweaking certain characters while speaking to international media at Ramayana's Los Angeles premiere.

He said, "So, she does have action in hers too. We are very clear that there are certain things, certain characters where we can take liberties, and there are certain characters where we just should not be taking any liberty. So, like Lord Ram, you know, in every version that we have in our country, he is Lord Ram."

"Maa Sita has, somewhere, like you mentioned, the warrior version. She, in Adbhuta Ramayana, is portrayed as a warrior princess. That element we took from there, which kind of adds a nice dimension to her as a character," he added.

About Ramayana

Mounted on a budget of Rs 4,000 crore, Ramayana is touted to be the biggest release of the year.

The film is set to be released in two parts, with the first instalment scheduled to release worldwide on November 5, 2026 ahead of Diwali, while the second part is slated for Diwali 2028.

Apart from Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Sunny Deol, Ravi Dubey and Yash play pivotal roles in the film.