Ram Setu

The 144-minute film makes a hash of scientific rigour, archaeological practice and, indeed, alternate readings of the Ramayana itself. The attempt to convince, rather than hector, is accompanied by dubious comic book-level plotting, sluggish pacing and pedestrian performances. Aryan is this film’s demigod, churning out fantastical feats at every turn. Satya Dev, as a local fisherman who helps Aryan, plays a version of Hanuman. There are a couple of women in the cast – including Nushrratt Bharuccha as Aryan’s wife and Jacqueline Fernandez as an environmental scientist – but the show belongs to Aryan’s miracle worker. There is no scope for logic or even basic common sense in a narrative that insists that religious belief must be placed above secular knowledge.