Mani Ratnam's Raavan redefines ecological consciousness in Indian cinema by portraying the forest as a living force integral to the narrative.
The film challenges traditional binaries of good and evil, highlighting the harmonious coexistence of tribal communities with nature and critiques state violence.
It offers a cinematic vision of interconnected human and non-human worlds.
In the era of accelerating climatic change and ecological crises, the question of how nature is represented is becoming increasingly important. While environmental discussions often take place through policy and activism, cinema remains underexplored as a powerful tool for ecological scenarios.
Mainstream cinema has engaged with landscapes and the environment, although often indirectly. An ecological reading of cinema can present the dynamic interactions between humans and nature, reflecting how it shapes cultural imagination.
Mani Ratnam's Raavan (2010), produced simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil, emerges as a powerful cinematic portrayal that reimagines our relationship with nature. Although it has been widely discussed in critical circles, the film offers much more than a simple retelling of the mythological conflict between good and evil. The landscape is filled with environmental symbolism and depicts tribal life, prompting viewers to revisit the film.
The film opens with a dense forest captured from multiple angles to emphasise its immersive visual presence. This natural environment is not merely a backdrop but a living force that shapes the narrative. The contrast between Raavan and Ram is reflected through their relationship with the forest, supporting the characters’ emotional and moral journeys. The verdant landscape — an intricate maze of trees, waterfalls and foliage — plays a central role in illustrating the film’s ethical, political and emotional tensions.
From the opening scene, in which Beera defiantly stands on the cliff, the forest becomes deeply interwoven with every major narrative event. The later abduction of Dev’s wife and Ragini’s iconic leap from the cliff mark a transformative passage from the civilised world into the untamed, natural realm. As Ragini witnesses the lives of the tribal people and their harmonious coexistence with nature, she begins to feel more connected and alive.
The film highlights how tribal communities remain rooted in their moral code of conduct, which plays a crucial role in preserving ecological balance, in stark contrast to the harsh, invasive logic of modern civilisation. Their grounded, practical approach makes a meaningful contribution to environmental conservation. Beera, the man pursued by the police, becomes entangled in a militarised conflict that has a direct impact on the forest. As the chase escalates, military personnel are deployed, camps are established and combat gear is used, transforming the forest into a war zone.
Despite the violence, Ratnam portrays Beera not merely as a fugitive but as a symbol of resistance — a figure defending his people and their land against ecological exploitation. Beera, branded an antagonist, emerges as a representative of environmental justice. The film's critique of state violence is a powerful commentary on the real threats to native lives and ecosystems under the guise of a civilising mission. The film subtly extends this narrative into the present, where similar struggles persist.
The film employs natural symbols, such as water, rain and the Earth, to convey the emotional undercurrents of its characters. Pouring rain functions as a metaphor for emotional release, prompting moments of introspection and grief. Flowing rivers reflect the fluid, shifting boundaries of nature, mirroring the internal conflicts and indecisiveness of characters like Ragini and Beera.
Viewing it through an ecological lens, the binary between divine and demonic begins to dissolve — the notion of Beera as the demonic figure and Dev as the righteous hero is destabilised. Beera's rootedness in tribal space aligns him with the natural world, while Dev’s violence, sanctioned by the state, reveals the oppressive force of institutional power.
The film also engages with an ecofeminist perspective through the character of Ragini, highlighting the intersection of gender and ecology. The conflict between Beera and Dev becomes a space where Ragini’s emotions are manipulated and her agency is questioned.
The forest scenes are filled with intense emotional depth, often portraying women as emotional, submissive and irrational, while positioning men as logical, authoritative and composed. This visual contrast critiques the gendered dichotomies embedded in cultural and environmental discourse, highlighting how societal norms can influence our relationship with nature and the environment.
In parallel, cinema operates not only through narrative but also through aesthetic and eco-sensory experiences. Ratnam’s Raavan was filmed across ecologically rich locations such as Karnataka, Kerala, Ooty and Jhansi. Ironically, the production itself encountered disruptions from eco-tourism authorities and the Animal Welfare Board due to concerns over trespassing and environmental ethics. This real-world tension between creative expression and ecological regulation mirrors the film’s central concerns — the fragile balance between human ambition and environmental responsibility — and underscores the film's commitment to its ecological themes.
The film’s setting powerfully foregrounds its ecological themes, which are further reinforced by its music. AR Rahman’s compositions and Gulzar’s evocative lyrics work in tandem to amplify the film’s environmental message. The opening track, Beera Beera, carries a mythical resonance, functioning almost like a hymn to the forest. Its primary rhythm mirrors the untamed energy of the natural world.
Meanwhile, Behne De visually and lyrically reflects the fluidity of rivers merging with human emotions. The recurring imagery of clouds and the longing to merge with the sea act as powerful emotional and ecological metaphors, expressing both the vastness of the natural world and the characters’ desire for release and union.
With its mythical elements, Raavan can be studied under the framework of environmental cinema. This perspective challenges mainstream Bollywood, which often neglects ecological consciousness. The film’s visual design, soundscape and symbolic motifs evoke an environmental rhythm that mirrors the characters’ internal states, redefining the forest as a site of political, ethical and mythological power. Their emotional transformation is deeply entangled with the landscape they inhabit.
Thus, Raavan offers not only a critique of anthropocentrism and state violence but also presents a cinematic vision of coexistence in which human and non-human worlds are inseparably linked by a shared ecological destiny. Ultimately, Raavan portrays the forest not as something to be dominated but as a realm to be comprehended — an ancient world rich in resistance, memory and coexistence, which cinema should continue to explore.
Sara Faraz is a PhD scholar in the Department of English at Aligarh Muslim University. Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth.