Contextualizing televised ramayana: A comparative analysis of characterisation in two serials on ramayana

The Epic Ramayana occupies a central space in the consciousness of India. It has been one of the favourite topics among Indian cinema producers and television content producers. The first televised Ramayana broadcast on the national broadcaster Doordarshan in 1987 made this epic a national classic reaching to the masses and gaining immense popularity. Since then, the Ramayana serial has been reproduced multiple times with the same plot. However, the unique style of the director, expectations of the audiences and the contemporary socio-cultural ambience had its influence on the visual narratives in these epic serials, more visible specifically in characterisation. In this research, analysis of the characterisation of five prominent characters in televised Ramayana applying the technique of qualitative content analysis is conducted and a comparison among the characters of the epic serials to identify differences and the similarities has been drawn. The findings indicate that characters in the Ramayana serial have changed with remake at a level of physical appearance more specifically in attires, make up and casting. The televised version of the textual Ramayana created Ramayana of its own kind with cinematic idol Rama and other characters that hold characteristics of contemporary relevance but yet carrying the traditional soul of the Ramayana.