Cast: Sanket Mhatre, Daman Baggan, and Sharad Kelkar
Authors: Charuvi Agrawal, Jeevan J. Kang, and Sharad Devarajan
Directors: Jeevan J. Kang and Navin John
Accessible via Disney+Hotstar
Languages spoken: Bengali, Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, and Malayalam.
Runtime: Seven 20-minute episodes
What It Concerns:
The Legend of Hanuman debuted in 2021 with an incredible season that began with Lord HanuMan’s early years and abruptly changed course in the first twenty minutes when Hanuman encountered Lord Ram and Lakshman in the jungle while the prince of Ayodhya was on the lookout for Sugreeva, the King of the “Vanar.”
The second season of the show ascended quality and content-wise to a much better tone and featured HanuMan’s first meeting with his lost powers and discovering Devi Sita. Similar events occurred in the third season, as Lord Hanuman led the army on the battlefield during the Ram-Ravana war.
With Kumbhkaran’s participation in the Ram-Ravana war, the fourth season has officially begun. Although you can only see the first two episodes, we have already binge-watched the entire season and will tell you of all the positives and negatives, says and nails, before you choose to watch it.
Examining the script:
Kumbhakarna arrives at the beginning of the fourth season of The Legend of Hanuman, and the plot has been following a straight line since the beginning of the program. This season’s main themes include the fights between equals, with Ram’s brother Lakshmana and Ravana’s brother Kumbhakarna facing off against each other, Lakshmana and Hanuman coming up with a plan to stop Meghnaad, and Ravana’s son Ahiravana taking the stage in a parallel story.
Star Performance:
The writing of The Legend of Hanuman is its strongest point; it explores the depths of Indian religion and mythology, fusing reality and fiction to create a compelling narrative that appeals to a broad audience.
But this season, Sharad Kelkar’s portrayal of Ravana is so strong, compelling, and mysterious that you find yourself curious to know this common man. It gets awkward after a while, and you start to question whether it is better to view Ravana as an anti-hero rather than a hero.
Direction
Without question, one of the greatest mythological series to come out of India is The Legend of Hanuman. It’s amazing how well this group has preserved the narrative of Ram and Ravana, which drives the entire drama of the Ramayana, from Hanuman. Indeed, Bollywood ought to learn how to adapt the Ramayana from this crew, whose innovation and study surpass the sublime.
What Functions
In addition to adding backstories and tales, they have described each character’s role in such detail that they are deserving of all the praise. The series has its heroic moments, such as when Nal and Neel are made into heroes. The scene where Hanuman is talking to a deserted mountain that is about to die since not a single plant is left on it, and some humans uprooted everything in the hope of planting more, but they never followed through, actually makes a cute movie for young viewers. A fantastic geography lesson that is integrated for the children and has a lovely connection to the legendary stories—getting them to think that this could have happened—wins.
What Is Ineffective
The issue emerges when one observes Ravana’s viewpoint and his story exerting such a strong influence that Hanuman and his story begin to lose significance. The Legend of Hanuman opens with Ravana narrating, expressing his beliefs, dominance, compassionate side, doubting his abilities, and lamenting the passing of his colleagues. This eventually turns into a story about Ravana instead of Hanuman, and although we don’t mind, it defeats the intent of a tale called The Legend of Hanuman.
Last Words:
After a while, the narration is so heavily dominated by Sharad Kelkar’s Ravana, that I find myself questioning whether it is morally acceptable to appreciate Ravana. Ahiravana and Ravana eventually take the stage in this web series, with the entire plot revolving around them. People become so fascinated by these anti-heroes that The Legends About Hanuman vanishes!
