Japanese Filmmaker Yugo Sako Gave India An Utterly Moving Depiction Of Ramayana-

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Japanese Filmmaker Yugo Sako Gave India An Utterly Moving Depiction Of
Ramayana-It Is Time To Honour His Stellar Contribution

by Sumati Mehrishi-Oct 27, 2019 09:40 AM


Japanese Filmmaker Yugo Sako Gave India An Utterly Moving Depiction Of
Ramayana-It Is Time To Honour His Stellar Contribution

A still from the movie



Sako’s film, now popular among the generation which grew up with
television, remains an immensely loved and cherished retelling of the
Ramayana.

In form, content and vision, it set standards which are as yet to be
equalled.

Finding a gentle tortoise, an octopus, and a deer helping organise Ram's
march towards Lanka in a depiction of Ramayana would be less likely had
Japanese director and producer Yugo Sako left the job of adapting the
great epic for anyone else.
There were possibilities Sako saw arising from his reading of the ,
which no one did - before him or since.By giving India Sako - a
Buddhist, gave India an adaptation that would speak with people across
generations.(The army of Rama is building the bridge,No one in the
universe can save Ravan)The few seconds in this song, where the gentle
fish from the sea are shown tumbling over stones to push them, and an
octopus shown holding one stone, and the inching ahead of the bridge -
as monkeys build the Rama Setu - subtly represent the span of years Sako
read and knew the through.It has been nearly three decades since the
film came and not one retelling of the for children, or in the
performing arts, has been able to revisit the epic via the celebration
of environment, flora and fauna.A squirrel is shown seated on Ram's
shoulders when he receives the news of the death of his father Dashrath
from Bharat. None, not even Lakshman, or Sita, is shown in a direct
physical contact with the avatar of Vishnu during this poignant
moment.The scene where Sita's beloved deer tries to free her from
Ravana's grip at the Lakshman Rekha - that's Sako's tribute to nature.,
retells the story of Rama using nearly a lakh hand drawn cells for
material. Each cell is a confluence of Indian drawing and painting and
Japanese comic, style and animation technique of Manga.The film was
shown on Cartoon Network back in the 1990s and exists on YouTube even
today. Kids growing up in the 1990s still go back to it.For children,
the film is a great starting point for understanding the classicism
involved in depicting and Ram's story throughout India, the East and the
South East.For adults, it is a great beginning to go back to the text.On
India's contemporary culture calendar, it remains as one of the greatest
Indo-Japanese cross-culture collaborations and the most long lasting
one.The human value of the episode of the building of the Rama Setu is
particularly penetrating. It makes you wonder if any Indian on his own
can attempt, again, or could have attempted back then, something so
simple and propelling to last in the viewer's memory.The Rama Setu
episode bridges the two phases of the in Sako's work.The first sees Rama
as the son, husband and friend. The second - Rama as the thinking
Kshatriya fighting for dharma and the slayer of Ravana.In the 1990s,
Sako, who had read Valmiki's and had done several readings of other
versions of the epic in Japanese, decided to work on an adaptation.His
reverence for Rama made him think about the sensitivity in portrayal. He
wanted to tread the story line. He wanted to be in harmony with the and
he thought that it would be appropriate to depict Rama in animation and
not in a human face.Sako's urge of adapting the led him to an Indian
animator. He was the Mumbai-based legendary animation artiste Ram Mohan.
was a collaboration between Sako and Mohan.Sako roped in 450 artists,
Japanese and Indian studios, and started work on a retelling. He wanted
to get the details right. He consulted many experts in India.This
continued interaction perhaps gave him the confidence to present the
crucial perspectives on why Sita refused to return with Hanuman, on why
Rama had second thoughts about attacking Ravan; on why Rama chose to
send Angad to Ravana and finally, on how Ram's resolve to go ahead with
the awaited action becomes solid.Vanraj Bhatia, noted Mumbai-based music
director, who has contributed to several stellar productions, made the
work of Sako and Mohan even more memorable and unforgettable.Mohan
passed away this month. And Bhatia was in the news recently for his ill
health and for leading a solitary life in Mumbai. Their work with Sako
remains one of the tallest examples of Japanese-Indo collaboration and
amongst the finest tributes to the .Sako’s reading of the epic was
layered. This film was perhaps his way of connecting with the Indic
understanding of religiosity with spirituality. The scene where Rama
sprints to attack Ravana, he seems to appear from a worrying Sita's own
thought and meditation for his victory.Sako and Mohan, along with the
hundreds of other artistes pulled out the unseen for the paper and
screen.For instance, the use of dimensions, as shown in the regrowing
and reappearing of Ravana's head on the battlefield; the use of inner
spaces of Lanka, where Ravana is shown discussing the battle and the
outcomes after each loss; the use of hollows and cavities of caves.For
instance, that extraordinary use of silence in the dual between Indrajit
and Lakshman. For instance, the war vehicles and their spearing into
clouds. Sako's reading of the Ramayana drove him close to the closest
depiction of these elements.As the marching song plays in the
background, Ram's is shown in action, but shown assisting it are other
animals. Stones being lifted with the help of a crane - elephants moving
round and round, powering the pulley system. A monkey sitting on a bar
on this innovative crane supervises the show. Then, a tortoise carrying
a stone tied to his shell.The deer, they pull the cart, and monkeys push
from behind to make their job easier. Parakeets, too, carry stones. And
finally, the discover the power of scribbling ‘Shri Ram’ on stones and
get lessons in buoyancy right there.(Success is where unity isSuccess is
where Bhakti is)The chorus sings these two lines. The foreground is the
army of Rama finally marching on the Rama Setu. And watching them
marching away are animals who helped in building the bridge. Animation
director Kazuyuki Kobayashi's work peaks endearingly in this shot.There
are other scenes in this brilliant film that must be preserved in stills
for generations to know how a Japanese filmmaker poured his heart into a
project on the Ramayana.For instance: The scene where Sumantra departs
from the exile-bound Ram, Lakshaman and Sita.Sumantra is visualised from
Ram's boat.Lakshman doesn't even turn around.He stands ram rod straight
at the edge of the boat.Their boat, then, is visualised from the sky,
floating on the wide, wide river.For instance: the scene of the last
rites of the taking place on the sands after Kumbha and Nikumbha attack
them. It is visualised from the ocean.For instance: the scene where the
shout that Rama flying on Hanuman to take control of Ravana seems like
Bhagwan Vishnu flying on Garuda.According to accounts and reports, Sako
had first visited India in the 1970s, and he continued to visit during
the 1980s, when he was working on a documentary on the archeological
excavations near Ayodhya. He was documenting it in his work . Dr B B
Lal's work was of immense interest to Sako.For his part, Mohan helped
Sako in putting his own interpretation to the drawing board. The Indian
line in drawing met Japanese form to depict the divine-human.This is
clear in each frame of the Ramayana story that Sako and Mohan have woven
scene after scene.According to accounts available on the Internet, the
film could have lived the great American release dream. Co-producer
Krishna Shah did not bend to a certain studio's idea of deviating from
the story line of the .The basic idea from the studio was to look at it
as a heroic adventure story with major deviations.Shah did not agree.
Sako's work remained within the hardbound antiquity of sacred text.The
timing of production and release clashed with the Rama Janmabhoomi
movement. Sections of "liberal" media (not liberal in the real sense)
leave no opportunity to say that Hindus stopped Sako's work from
reaching Indian theatres.For them Sako's work, largely, is important
because it has inspired work in the West, and not so much because Sako
went on to present his work in difficult times.What these sections of
media seem to forget is that emotions were on a high at that time, and
the reasons owing to which Sako's collaborative work, its production and
release faced hurdles were mostly surrounding the clashing of events and
timing.What they call "Hindutva forces" "making peace" with Sako's work
is not "making peace" but a humble acceptance of a great work produced
and presented by keeping the sacred in the sacrosanct.Ram's Ayodhya now
sees the Deepotsava return to it and witnesses the performance of
Ramlila from the nations in the East and South East.Japan is yet to
reappear in this renewed celebration of the Ramayana.Until another
moving Japanese retelling appears before the Indian audience, Sako's
work will continue to cement the sturdy cultural bridge between India
and Japan.Sako breathed his last in 2012. 2019 is not too late to honour
his immensely valuable contribution.