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Lara Dutta has addressed the criticism surrounding her appearance as Kaikeyi in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana. Ever since the film's trailer was released, the costumes
of several characters, including Lara's Kaikeyi and Sai Pallavi's Sita, have been discussed on social media. A section of viewers questioned whether their outfits looked appropriate for the period in which the epic is set, with some comparing the styling to television serials. Now, Lara has responded to the backlash, saying that people were nitpicking over minor details while overlooking the scale of the project.
Lara Dutta Reacts To Ramayana Costume Backlash
Speaking about the criticism, Lara Dutta told News18 that she understood the reasoning behind the creative choices made for the film. However, she felt that the discussion around the costumes had become too focused on smaller details.
"I know what the reason was for us to pick certain kinds of garments and the way that we wanted those to be depicted. It's such a vast project that you're undertaking and one nitpicked on such tiny things," she said.
Lara also recalled one of her early conversations with director Nitesh Tiwari about how Kaikeyi's appearance should be different from that of the other queens. She pointed out that Kaikeyi came from the kingdom of Kekaya and wondered whether her jewellery and other personal possessions should reflect that background.
"One of my first conversations with Nitesh sir was that if Kaikeyi came from the kingdom of Kekaya, wouldn't her jewellery be very different from the other two queens? Wouldn't she bring her own stree-dhan?" she said.
However, Lara explained that getting into such minute details could lead to several other questions. "But if you want to get into such minute details, then you're opening up a Pandora's box and then you would have historians and other experts coming up and saying, 'Oh, how can this be shown and depicted?' So, there was a standardisation that was decided to be adopted across all three kingdoms, Mithila, Ayodhya and Lanka, to differentiate between those cultures," she added.
What Is The Ramayana Costume Controversy?
The costume debate began after the Ramayana trailer showcased the looks of its principal characters. Lara Dutta's appearance as Kaikeyi, particularly her maroon saree, green blouse and jewellery, became a talking point among viewers. Sai Pallavi's appearance as Sita also faced scrutiny, with viewers debating the design of her sarees and blouses.
Costume designers Rimple and Harpreet Narula had earlier addressed the criticism and explained the thinking behind their choices. They said that their interpretation was guided by their creative vision and understanding of the characters rather than an attempt at strict archaeological reconstruction.
