Now Reading: Sita fights demons alongside Ram in ‘Ramayana’, social media erupts
-
01
Sita fights demons alongside Ram in ‘Ramayana’, social media erupts
The Story in Brief
A scene in Nitesh Tiwari’s film ‘Ramayana’ showing Sai Pallavi as Sita fighting demons alongside Lord Ram has sparked criticism on social media. The film was released on Thursday, 5 November 2026.
Users allege the depiction contradicts Valmiki Ramayana, which they say describes Ram defeating the 14,000-strong army of Khar and Dushan alone, having sent Sita and Lakshman away. One X user wrote that Sita was ‘feminine’ and Ram would never let her enter a battlefield. Another called it a ‘scamayan’.
Director Nitesh Tiwari, speaking at the Los Angeles premiere, said the action sequence draws from the ‘Adbhuta Ramayana’, where Sita appears as a warrior goddess. He added that for characters like Ram, no deviation was permitted, but Sita’s martial aspect gave ‘a new and interesting dimension’.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both Aaj Tak and TV9 Hindi report the same social-media criticism of a ‘Ramayana’ scene showing Sita fighting alongside Ram, but TV9 Hindi adds a key detail: director Nitesh Tiwari’s explanation that the scene draws from the ‘Adbhuta Ramayana,’ where Sita is a warrior goddess. Aaj Tak’s report omits this justification, leaving only the criticism without the filmmaker’s defence. Aaj Tak also independently layers a theological fact-check citing the Valmiki Ramayana to reinforce the critics’ claim, whereas TV9 Hindi does not. The uniform social-media outrage is framed identically, the outlets diverge only on whether the director’s counterpoint is included. The balanced reading is that both sides of the creative-and-scriptural debate are on record: critics assert textual fidelity, Tiwari cites an alternate Ramayana tradition.
Coverage: 2 sources, 1 neutral, 1 sensationalist
Sources (2): aajtak.in (sensationalist), tv9hindi.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
