Manoj Muntashir defends songs of Adipurush amid comparisons to Ramayana: ‘I didn’t write qawwalis'

Adipurush writer Manoj Muntashir has shared that the songs of the film cannot be challenged. The film was directed by Om Raut and starred Prabash, Kriti Sanon.

The songs of Ramayana Part 1, composed by AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer, have received mixed reactions, with many first criticizing and then praising them. Amid this, the lyricist and dialogue writer of the 2023 release Adipurush has reacted to comparisons of the songs of Ramayana with his film. Adipurush was panned by critics and loathed by audiences upon release and became Bollywood's biggest box-office bomb. (Also read: AR Rahman is amused by people criticising Ramayana songs, then apologising; reveals he once let go of Hans Zimmer collab to 'chill' | HT Exclusive)

Manoj Muntashir dismisses comparisons of the songs of Adipurush with the ones from Ramayana, which are composed by AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer.

What Manoj Muntashir said

Taking to X, Manoj penned a stern statement on a report that spoke about the backlash to Mangal Rang and said people are reminded of the stunts in Adipurush. Manoj said in Hindi, "Manoj Muntashir-style stunt? The country's self-proclaimed best news channel has said something as ignorant as the illiterate masses."

He added, “My brother, I wish my stunt had been repeated in the songs of the Ramayana. Adipurush was a very bad film, the dialogues were even worse, but the songs—every child in the country sings them. Go to Shri Ayodhya sometime, and you'll hear nothing but Adipurush songs playing in every alley.”

He shared that there was no lack of devotion in the songs that were created for Adipurush and said, “The mistake I made, I've apologized to the Ram devotees for it countless times, and forgiveness was granted, but don't challenge the songs. There was no lack of devotion, dedication, or poetry in them. I didn't write nursery rhymes for Ram, nor qawwalis. People ahead are wise; they know who's worth what. Jai Shri Ram.”

About Adipurush

Adipurush starred Prabhas as Lord Rama, Kriti Sanon as Sita, and Saif Ali Khan as Ravana. Its music was composed by Ajay-Atul. The film was mounted on a massive budget of ₹550 crore, but tanked after a big opening. Negative word of mouth led to it halting its run over ₹200 crore short of breaking even. The film was mired in controversies over its dialogue and depictions of Ravana and Lord Rama.

About Ramayana

Produced by Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana and directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana is a two-part film starring Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Yash as Ravana, and Sai Pallavi as Sita. Part One releases worldwide on November 5, ahead of Diwali. The second part is slated for release around Diwali 2027.