Like its predecessor Avatar from 2009, Avatar: The Way Of Water has been hailed as a technical and creative masterpiece. The sequel, according to the majority of critics and fans, not only meets up to the standards set by producer-director James Cameron 13 years ago but also exceeds them.
The plot and graphics of the movie have received high appreciation. Many sharp viewers have picked up on previously unnoticed elements while watching Avatar 2. However, in India, the movie has taken a very religious angle after many people claimed that the movie is inspired by Hindu mythology due to James Cameron’s fascination with Indian culture.
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The debate has been further ignited by the YouTuber named Sham Sharma who runs the channel The Sham Sharma Show when he uploaded the video titled “Avatar | How India Is Inspiring Hollywood And The World.”
This YouTuber said that the James Cameron film was inspired by Hindu mythology, which ignited a Twitter discussion. His claims about the James Cameron movie and Hindu mythology have been discussed widely on Twitter with many people agreeing with him while many people are not.
Inka alag multiverse of madness chalu hai pic.twitter.com/APABtFZrIf
— রাজ শেখর (@DiscourseDancer) December 25, 2022
So, let’s find out what is happening:
Is Avatar really inspired by Hindu mythology?
In a video titled “Avatar | How India Is Inspiring Hollywood And The World,” a YouTuber discusses how the blue bodies of the movie’s protagonists may have been influenced by Lord Ram, Krishna, and Shiva.
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While many claimed that Cameron had acknowledged this, others claimed that the idea of immortality is not exclusive to Hindu mythology.
If you’re not aware, the term “avatar” itself is a Sanskrit word and translates to “descent.” While in India in 2010, James Cameron spoke about his passion for Hindu mythology and said that it could have unintentionally affected his work. He said,
“I just have loved everything, the mythology, the entire Hindu pantheon, seems so rich and vivid.”
He added,
“I didn’t want to reference the Hindu religion so closely, but the subconscious association was interesting, and I hope I haven’t offended anyone in doing so.”
Not only this, when James Cameron was questioned about avatars in a 2007 Time magazine interview, he himself admitted that is inspired by Hindu mythology. He said,
“It’s an incarnation of one of the Hindu gods taking a flesh form. In this film what that means is that the human technology in the future is capable of injecting a human’s intelligence into a remotely located body, a biological body.”
In a recent interview with GQ, James Cameron said that when he was 19 years old, the concept of Avatar first entered his head in a dream. He said,
“I woke up after dreaming of this kind of bioluminescent forest with these trees that look kind of like fiber-optic lamps and this river that was glowing bioluminescent particles and kind of purple moss on the ground that lit up when you walked on it.”
He added,
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“And these kinds of lizards that didn’t look like much until they took off. And then they turned into these rotating fans, kind of like living Frisbees, and they come down and land on something. It was all in the dream. I woke up super excited and I actually drew it. So I actually have a drawing.”
Check out the video here:
With $2.6 billion in international ticket sales, Avatar: The Way of Water has created Hollywood history and shown Cameron’s fearless filmmaking abilities. Even though many people don’t like to admit it, the Oscar-winning film had a close relationship with India and Hindu mythology, and it also showcased the director’s love for Indian iconography.
Here is what netizens are saying about it
Don’t know about this character development but lot of inspiration is taken from India.
— Tejas (@tepatankar) December 25, 2022
A drink which gives immortality is not exclusively a Indian/Hindu concept though. The first mention of it was in the epic of Gilgamesh in 2000 BC. It’s an often appearing theme in history. Can’t claim it as a win for “Indic texts”
— Adnaan Naveet (@crapycrapcrap76) December 25, 2022
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You can do much about these self-loathers. James Cameron himself admitted in his interviews to be heavily influenced by Hindu Gods and philosophy. https://t.co/EARSQYMbAh
— एक हिन्दू प्रहरी (@EkDharmaYodha) December 27, 2022
But the inspiration is only being limited to looks and names?
Is that enough!— Subhadeep Ghosh (@Subhade91541311) December 25, 2022
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