Marketed as a contemporary remake of the Ramayana, it soon became the target of viral memes and ridicule, particularly for its poor visual effects, uninspired direction, and poor performances.
Several viewers even unfavourably compared its quality to Amar Chitra Katha comics and kids' cartoons.
Ramayana enthusiasts were especially let down, believing the film did an injustice to the holy epic. The dialogue was universally ridiculed as cringeworthy, and the highly touted VFX was described as "cartoonish."
Prabhas, who had already gained huge goodwill with Baahubali, had his reputation tarnished by the failure of the film.
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Saif Ali Khan, who acted as Ravan, later reminisced about a candid moment while promoting Jewel Thief: "I just showed Taimur Adipurush recently. Then, after sometime, he began giving me a look. So, I said 'Yeah, sorry'. He said, 'it's okay'. He forgave me," Saif remembered, recognizing the shortcomings of the film.
Adipurush is ultimately a reminder that respect for source material and careful execution are paramount, particularly when reworking well-loved epics.