Homer was inspired by Ramayana: Nitesh Tiwari on Odyssey parallels with Indian epic

Nitesh Tiwari believes Ramayana may have travelled much further than India, possibly finding echoes in one of the West's most celebrated epics. The filmmaker recently addressed the striking similarities between Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and the ancient Indian epic, suggesting that Homer's work may have drawn inspiration from the Ramayana.The comparison is rooted in a particularly familiar sequence involving a bow. In Nolan's The Odyssey, Penelope announces a challenge to her suitors: whoever can string Odysseus' bow will win her hand in marriage. Despite several attempts, nobody succeeds. The disguised Odysseus eventually takes up the bow and accomplishes the seemingly impossible task.The parallel with Rama's swayamvar in the Ramayana is difficult to miss. Sita's marriage is made conditional on a similar feat, with kings and warriors invited to lift and string Lord Shiva's celestial bow. While everyone else fails, Rama lifts the mighty weapon and breaks it into two while attempting to string it, winning Sita's hand.Nitesh Tiwari comments on similarities between Ramayana and The OdysseySpeaking to ScreenRant, Tiwari said, "Ramayana is the oldest epic, and I believe Homer was inspired by Ramayana in some way, having written those bits in Odyssey. And yes, I did notice those equivalents, and I felt very happy that our greatest epic has got a tribute in another epic that belongs to the Western world, and it's going to make it much easier for people to connect with what we were trying to bring to the West as well." He added, "To be honest, it was written in our text 4,000 years ago. So actually, when I saw The Odyssey, I thought, 'That's from Ramayana.' Exactly. But yeah, sweet coincidence. I love The Odyssey. I love Christopher Nolan. But yeah, doing Ramayana had a very different feeling."Produced by Namit Malhotra and Yash, Ramayana: Part One, featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash, arrived in theatres on November 5. The makers have positioned the ambitious two-part adaptation as more than a cinematic retelling, taking the message of "Our truth. Our history" to international audiences.That ambition is finding a commercial response, too. The film has grossed an estimated Rs 375.50 crore worldwide in its first three days, including Rs 157.25 crore from overseas markets. With Saturday delivering strong business, Ramayana is building its global box-office footprint while introducing India's epic to audiences beyond its borders.- Ends