The Nina Paley Show! Sunday, November 7, 2004

Haven't been through your blog yet. Am coming directly from Sita Sings the Blues.
All I want to say is that, your take on the Ramayana, is the funniest I have seen yet. Excellent music and animation. Sita singing the blues - giving us the Ramayana from her point of view - unique. Very nicely done. It was a treat.
BUT, there is one thing that I did not like. I don't want to be a pain about it, but Rama the jerk part, was the one thing that did not go down well with me. Even from Sita's perspective Rama was never a jerk. In India he is still referred to as Maryada Purushottam Sri Rama, Rama the righteous and the best among men. He is heartbroken when he has to give up Sita, but he has to do it to uphold the law of his land. His responsibility is first as a King and then as a Husband. Such is the diktat of Dharma. Sita, understands this too (though she probably has a hard time forgiving Rama).
Rama the jerk, may be your understanding of the character of Sri Rama, but I am afraid it is hard for me as a Hindu to swallow.
I am sorry if I sound archaic, pedantic and dogmatic. I am none of those, but the fact of the matter is that, the Ramayana has is such a central part of our psyche as Hindus, that 'jerk' is too trivial and irreverant a characterisation of Rama ( who is till today worshipped as God by almost a billion people, including me).
Once again I apologize for having spent so much time on my grouse. The fact remains that you are an artist, and as an artist your animation is endearing and engaging.
So Congrats on a job well done, if you could only re-consider the jerk bit...

Thanks, Pareshaan!

For those coming late to the debate, here's how I describe Rama:

"Prince of Ayodhya, avatar (incarnation) of the god Vishnu, heroic warrior, ace archer, embodiment of dharma (law, righteousness, duty, destiny), Perfect Man, and jerk."

Some readers/viewers see only the last word, which is a pity. Rama is a complex character; notice how the penultimate descriptor is Perfect Man.

Here's how I describe Sita:

"Rama’s wife, daughter of the Earth, incarnation of goddess Lakshmi, embodiment of chastity and purity, Perfect Woman, and doormat."

I've had several complaints about including "jerk" in Lord Rama's description, but NOT A SINGLE COMPLAINT ABOUT CALLING SITA A DOORMAT. Any thoughts on why this might be?

I must have missed the Rama as a jerk reference in your work. Where does it appear? Good point about the doormat bit too. I wish I could see this work in a form other than over the internet, but, alas, I am a film student in college, and cannot afford trips to New York whenever possible.

I'd like to know a little about your process with the work - it says you work in flash and final cut pro - I suppose you work mainly in flash, and then edit sequences together in fcp. I've worked in flash before, but found it to be one of the most difficult programs to grapple that I have ever tried before. Final Cut Pro, on the other hand, came very naturally. Perhaps it was just the person teaching me... Anyway, do you have any tips?

I feel like a real - I don't know what. I am sorry, you are absolutely right. In Rama's case I did read all the nice things you had to say about him, but the jerk part still erked me.
In Sita's case I totally overlooked the doormat part. I never noticed it, and would not have unless you had pointed it out.
My argument should have been made in Sita's favor also. Maybe I need to think before I write next time.