{
  "id": 14449894,
  "title": "From ‘A Little Princess’ to ‘Black Panther,’ how Hollywood films have reimagined the South Asian epic ‘Ramayana’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/from-a-little-princess-to-black-panther-how-hollywood-films-have",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-14T12:19:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Conversation",
    "slug": "the-conversation",
    "url": "https://theconversation.com/from-a-little-princess-to-black-panther-how-hollywood-films-have-reimagined-the-south-asian-epic-ramayana-291232"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hollywood films have long reimagined the South Asian epic \"Ramayana,\" a story that dates back to between 400 B.C.E. and 400 C.E. The epic poem follows Prince Rama, an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, as he rescues his wife, Sita, from the demon king Ravana. Over the years, various South Asian traditions have retold \"Ramayana\" through dramas, narrative poems, shadow puppet plays, and more.\n\nRecently, American filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari released his own retelling of the epic. While many Americans might not recognize the term \"Ramayana,\" they might have seen its characters and stories in films before. For instance, Alfonso Cuarón's 1995 movie \"A Little Princess\" begins by having a British girl named Sara Crewe tell the story of Rama. This adaptation shows scenes inspired by the epic, with Rama and Sita living in a forest during their exile. When Sita is abducted by Ravana, Rama creates a protective circle around her, as seen in the film.\n\nAnother example is the use of the divine monkey Hanuman, a loyal devotee of Rama who helps rescue Sita. In Pixar's short film \"Sanjay's Super Team,\" Hanuman is reimagined as a superhero in a story inspired by the viewer's favorite animated show. Additionally, Marvel's \"Black Panther\" and \"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever\" feature a character named M Baku who leads a Wakandan community that worships a giant white gorilla deity, a nod to Hanuman.",
  "summary": "There is no single way to tell the story of the ‘Ramayana.’ People from different religious traditions and cultural backgrounds have reimagined the epic in countless ways.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}