Globalized Hindu Epic Adaptations: Cultural Commodification vs. Sacred Text Integrity in Transnational Media
Original framing: “Film of Indian epic 'Ramayana' aims for global audience - Reuters” — Reuters (via Google News)
The original framing omits the voices of Hindu scholars and practitioners who critique the adaptation's fidelity to the epic's sacred text. It also ignores the historical context of colonial-era distortions of the 'Ramayana' by British scholars, which laid the groundwork for its modern commodification. Additionally, the story excludes perspectives from marginalized Dalit and Adivasi communities, whose interpretations of the epic often challenge dominant Brahminical narratives. The lack of indigenous knowledge systems in the framing further erodes the epic's spiritual and cultural depth.
Medium structural omission detected in mainstream coverage.
Reuters, as a Western-centric news agency, frames this story through the lens of global media expansion, serving the interests of transnational studios and diaspora markets. The narrative prioritizes profit-driven storytelling over religious or cultural integrity, obscuring the power dynamics between Western producers and Hindu communities. This framing reinforces the commodification of sacred texts, aligning with neoliberal cultural policies that prioritize marketability over tradition.
The 'Ramayana' has been a site of cultural contestation since its composition, with colonial scholars like William Jones and Max Müller reinterpreting it to fit Western orientalist frameworks. Postcolonial adaptations, such as Ramanand Sagar’s 1987 TV series, further cemented a sanitized, nationalist version of the epic, erasing regional and subaltern narratives. The current wave of global adaptations follows this pattern, repackaging the epic for mass consumption while diluting its philosophical and ethical complexity. This historical trajectory reveals how sacred texts are weaponized in cultural and political struggles.
The global adaptation of the 'Ramayana' exemplifies the tension between cultural commodification and sacred integrity, a dynamic shaped by colonial legacies and neoliberal media practices.