Christopher Nolan‘The Odyssey’ is hours away from its global release, but it has already sparked discussions online among Indian fans. According to the latest talk, the movie starring Matt DamonAnne Hathaway and Tom Holland in leading roles, leading some desi fans to draw comparisons between a pivotal scene in the film and one of the most iconic moments of the Ramayanawhich also teased director Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming big screen narrative.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Social media has been abuzz with netizens pointing out what they believe is a similarity linking the ancient Greek epic to the Indian epic. One of the most discussed parallels centers on the culminating archery contest in ‘The Odyssey’. In the Greek epic, Odysseus, returning to Ithaca in disguise after years away, strings his legendary bow and shoots an arrow through 12 ax heads to prove his identity and win back his wife, Penelope, from suitors vying for her hand.
Scene from ‘The Odyssey’ inspired by ‘Ramayana’
Indian audiences were quick to point out the bow contest’s closeness to that of the Ramayana, where Lord Rama succeeds in lifting and stringing Lord Shiva’s divine bow, ultimately winning Sita’s hand. A similar scene was teased in the trailer for the upcoming one Ranbir Kapoor starrer which sees him playing the role of Lord Rama and Sai Pallavi playing the role of Sita.
The fans react
One user wrote: “Does the Odyssey really have a Ramayana reference in the climax?” while another explained the similarities, noting: “In Valmiki’s Ramayana, Rama lifts and breaks Lord Shiva’s bow to marry Sita. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus returns home in disguise, strings his own bow to retrieve Penelope. Ancient Greek mythology and Indian mythology are fascinating.”
It was Ramayana that was the ‘inspiration’ behind the scene
This led fans to speculate whether the sequence in “The Odyssey” was inspired by the Ramayana. However, others were quick to point out that both the Ramayana and Homer’s Odyssey share similar texts, and it was not one of Nolan’s creative liberties.‘The Odyssey’ will have a grand release in India on July 17.