{ "id": "epmkyb1v48", "slug": "bhavai", "title": "Bhavai (रावण लीला)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema", "label": "Indian films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-2020s", "label": "Hindi films of the 2020s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-2020s" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-2020s.hindi-films-of-2021", "label": "Hindi films of 2021", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-2020s.hindi-films-of-2021" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-2020s", "label": "India · 2021 and later: Hindi films of the 2020s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-2020s", "path": [ { "id": "geo.ind", "label": "India", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021", "label": "India · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema", "label": "Indian films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-2020s", "label": "Hindi films of the 2020s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-2020s" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Bhavai (Raavan Leela) is a 2021 Hindi drama by Hardik Gajjar starring Pratik Gandhi as a villager playing Raavan in a Ramlila; retitled after backlash, hit with a CBFC show-cause notice, released 22 October 2021.", "snippet": "Bhavai (Raavan Leela) is a 2021 Hindi drama by Hardik Gajjar starring Pratik Gandhi as a villager playing Raavan in a Ramlila; retitled after backlash, hit with a CBFC show-cause notice, released 22 October 2021.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-2020s.hindi-films-of-2021", "markdown": "# Bhavai (रावण लीला)\n\n**Bhavai** (originally titled *Raavan Leela*) is a 2021 Hindi-language drama film directed and written by Hardik Gajjar, starring [Pratik Gandhi](https://www.edgepedia.org/pratik-gandhi) as a village man who becomes an actor in a traveling Ramlila troupe. It was Gandhi's first leading role in a Hindi film after his success in the web series *Scam 1992*.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bhavai) • [2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/bhavai-movie-review-pratik-gandhi-occasionally-breaks-free-in-loud-dated-film-7584789/) The film drew more attention for its troubled release than for its reception: the title was changed after religious backlash and a legal defamation case, and the [Central Board of Film Certification](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-board-of-film-certification) (CBFC) issued a show-cause notice to the producers over a modified trailer.[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2021/Sep/24/cfbc-seeks-explanation-from-makers-of-bhavai-for-flouting-certification-rules-issues-show-cause-n-2363240.html)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | *Raavan Leela*, changed to *Bhavai* in September 2021 after religious backlash and a legal defamation case[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2021/Sep/24/cfbc-seeks-explanation-from-makers-of-bhavai-for-flouting-certification-rules-issues-show-cause-n-2363240.html) |\n| Director and writer | Hardik Gajjar (director, screenwriter, co-writer of the screenplay with Shreyes Anil Lowlekar)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bhavai) • [4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/bhavai/) |\n| Lead cast | Pratik Gandhi (Raavan/Rajaram), Aindrita Ray (Rani), with Rajendra Gupta, Rajesh Sharma, Abhimanyu Singh, and Flora Saini[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bhavai) • [3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2021/Sep/24/cfbc-seeks-explanation-from-makers-of-bhavai-for-flouting-certification-rules-issues-show-cause-n-2363240.html) |\n| Runtime and language | 1 hour 54 minutes (114 minutes), Hindi[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bhavai) • [5](https://mrqe.com/movie/bhavai-m100138345/) |\n| Release | 22 October 2021 in Indian cinemas; originally scheduled for 1 October 2021[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/bhavai/) • [3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2021/Sep/24/cfbc-seeks-explanation-from-makers-of-bhavai-for-flouting-certification-rules-issues-show-cause-n-2363240.html) |\n| Certification dispute | CBFC show-cause notice, September 2021, for releasing a distorted trailer on YouTube after certification[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/cbfc-cbfc-seeks-explanation-from-makers-of-bhavai-pratik-gandhi-certification-rules-7532546/) |\n| IMDb rating | 5.7/10 from about 2,300 user ratings (unweighted mean 7.5)[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8591792/ratings/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot and setting\n\nThe story follows Rajaram, an enthusiast who has dreamed of becoming an actor since childhood but, as a village resident, has been deprived of the chance to live that dream. A traveling Ramlila troupe arrives in his small Gujarat village searching for someone to play Raavan, and the young man, ironically named Raja Ram Joshi, gets his big chance opposite the young woman playing Sita.[5](https://mrqe.com/movie/bhavai-m100138345/) • [2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/bhavai-movie-review-pratik-gandhi-occasionally-breaks-free-in-loud-dated-film-7584789/) The film is a love story set against the backdrop of Ram Leela, and its synopsis asks who the real Raavan is, Rajaram or \"We, the Society\".[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/bhavai/) • [5](https://mrqe.com/movie/bhavai-m100138345/)\n\nThe setting is deliberately timeless. The film does not state its period, but the absence of cellphones, partial electricity, and wages as low as 100 rupees place it outside the present day, giving it an almost folklore atmosphere.[8](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/bhavai-review/20211022.htm) It is performed in the colorful, folksy style of the Bhavai folk theater from which it takes its title, a form that evolved into one of India's most energetic folk music and dance dramas and whose invention is credited to Asait Thakore, a Gujarati Brahmin cast out from his community.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/bhavai-movie-review-pratik-gandhi-occasionally-breaks-free-in-loud-dated-film-7584789/) • [9](https://indiancine.ma/documents/DSP/Encyclopedia%2520of%2520Indian%2520Cinema.pdf)\n\n## Production\n\nShooting took place in June 2018 in the village of Nani Khakhar in Kutch and in the [Rann of Kutch](https://www.edgepedia.org/rann-of-kutch).[10](https://gujaraticinema.in/bhavai-film/) The film was presented by Dr. Jayantilal Gada (Pen Studios) and produced by Dhaval Jayantilal Gada, Aksshay Jayantilal Gada, Parth Gajjar, and Hardik Gajjar Films in association with Backbencher Pictures.[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2021/Sep/24/cfbc-seeks-explanation-from-makers-of-bhavai-for-flouting-certification-rules-issues-show-cause-n-2363240.html) The music is by Team Sara Music and Aanand Shandilyaa, with lyrics by Shabbir Ahmed and Kumar Manjul, and the cinematography is by Chirantan Das.[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/bhavai/)\n\n## Title change and certification dispute\n\nThe film was attacked more than a month before its release, part of a pattern in Indian cinema in which mythological subjects can attract legal complaints, scene deletions, and, since *Padmaavat* (2018), panicky title changes.[11](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/review/2021/Oct/23/bhavai-movie-review-dullness-all-over-this-limp-satire-2374576.html) After the trailer was released, the makers changed the title from *Raavan Leela* to *Bhavai* and removed a sequence showing two actors, playing Ram and Raavan, in conversation with each other, which a section of viewers had criticized as offensive. The title change followed religious backlash and a legal defamation case.[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/cbfc-cbfc-seeks-explanation-from-makers-of-bhavai-pratik-gandhi-certification-rules-7532546/) • [3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2021/Sep/24/cfbc-seeks-explanation-from-makers-of-bhavai-for-flouting-certification-rules-issues-show-cause-n-2363240.html) Even after the change, the film continued to receive heavy backlash on social media, with many demanding a ban, and the makers issued a statement on Twitter clarifying that the title and a controversial dialogue were not part of the film and had been removed from the promo as well, adding that the film had been passed by the CBFC under the 'U' category.[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2021/Sep/24/cfbc-seeks-explanation-from-makers-of-bhavai-for-flouting-certification-rules-issues-show-cause-n-2363240.html)\n\nThe CBFC then objected on procedural grounds. It found that the producers had released the trailer on YouTube in a distorted form, changing the title and including portions that had been deposited with the board, which it held to be a contravention of the Cinematograph Certification Rules. CBFC chairperson [Prasoon Joshi](https://www.edgepedia.org/prasoon-joshi) said that flouting certification rules \"is not acceptable as it compromises the role of systems and balances\" and \"portrays the industry in an irresponsible light\". The board issued a show-cause notice, the producers replied, and the reply was under consideration, with appropriate action to be taken as per the rules in due course.[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/cbfc-cbfc-seeks-explanation-from-makers-of-bhavai-pratik-gandhi-certification-rules-7532546/) • [12](https://filminformation.com/featured/cbfc-to-take-action-against-bhavai-producers-24-september-2021/)\n\nThe release date also shifted. The film was set to open in cinemas on 1 October 2021, but the date moved after the [Maharashtra](https://www.edgepedia.org/maharashtra) government announced the reopening of cinema halls in the state, and the film reached theaters on 22 October 2021.[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2021/Sep/24/cfbc-seeks-explanation-from-makers-of-bhavai-for-flouting-certification-rules-issues-show-cause-n-2363240.html) • [4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/bhavai/)\n\n## Reception\n\nCritics were largely negative. Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave it 1.5 out of 5, calling the film loud and dated and noting that certain dialogues had been muted, with lips moving but no sound emerging; she argued the filmmakers would have been better served keeping the original title and its subversion.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/bhavai-movie-review-pratik-gandhi-occasionally-breaks-free-in-loud-dated-film-7584789/) The Times of India's Hiren Kotwani was more favorable at 3.5 out of 5, praising Chirantan Das's cinematography as beautiful and scene-enhancing.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bhavai) The Quint's Stutee Ghosh and Firstpost's Jai Arjun Singh each gave 2.5 out of 5, the former finding the film's point diluted and the latter calling it a mostly innocuous, bland comment on religious hegemony.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bhavai) Poulomi Das of News9 Live, at 2 out of 5, wrote that despite a committed performance by Gandhi, the film was marred by over-acting and stilted emoting that undid its message.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bhavai) Bollywood Hungama judged it well-made but doubted its box-office prospects, saying city audiences would not identify much with its village-rooted story.[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/bhavai/)\n\nOn IMDb the film holds a weighted rating of 5.7 out of 10 from about 2,300 user votes, with an unweighted mean of 7.5; most ratings come from India, followed by the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8591792/ratings/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Bhavai, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bhavai)\n2. [Bhavai movie review: Pratik Gandhi occasionally breaks free in this loud, dated film, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/bhavai-movie-review-pratik-gandhi-occasionally-breaks-free-in-loud-dated-film-7584789/)\n3. [CFBC seeks explanation from makers of 'Bhavai' for flouting certification rules, issues show-cause notice, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2021/Sep/24/cfbc-seeks-explanation-from-makers-of-bhavai-for-flouting-certification-rules-issues-show-cause-n-2363240.html)\n4. [Bhavai Movie: Review, Release Date, Songs, News, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/bhavai/)\n5. [Bhavai (2021), MRQE](https://mrqe.com/movie/bhavai-m100138345/)\n6. [CBFC seeks explanation from makers of Bhavai for 'flouting certification rules and tampering with content of film', The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/cbfc-cbfc-seeks-explanation-from-makers-of-bhavai-pratik-gandhi-certification-rules-7532546/)\n7. [Bhavai (2021) Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8591792/ratings/)\n8. [Bhavai review, Rediff.com](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/bhavai-review/20211022.htm)\n9. [Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema (Bhavni Bhavai entry, Bhavai folk theatre background)](https://indiancine.ma/documents/DSP/Encyclopedia%2520of%2520Indian%2520Cinema.pdf)\n10. [ભવાઈ ફિલ્મ - વાર્તા, ટ્રેલર, કલાકારો અને ક્રૂ, Gujarati Cinema](https://gujaraticinema.in/bhavai-film/)\n11. ['Bhavai' movie review: Dullness all over this limp satire, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/review/2021/Oct/23/bhavai-movie-review-dullness-all-over-this-limp-satire-2374576.html)\n12. [CBFC TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST 'BHAVAI' PRODUCERS?, Film Information](https://filminformation.com/featured/cbfc-to-take-action-against-bhavai-producers-24-september-2021/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 2020s › Hindi films of 2021*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/bhavai", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/bhavai.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Bhavai (रावण लीला)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/bhavai. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Bhavai (रावण लीला)](https://www.edgepedia.org/bhavai)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/bhavai](https://www.edgepedia.org/bhavai). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Bhavai (रावण लीला)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/bhavai. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Bhavai is a 2021 Hindi drama by Hardik Gajjar starring Pratik Gandhi as a villager playing Raavan in a Ramlila; retitled after backlash, hit with a CBFC show-cause notice, released 22 October 2021." }