Sita Ramam: A Love Written in Letters, A Life Written in Longing
By Swayam Prakash Samal · 13 September 2026 · KFS Blog
Just like
the last letter in the movie, written and read through tears, my eyes are also
filled with tears as I write this blog. And perhaps that is why I feel I should
tell you a little about this movie and me before I say anything else about it.
I have probably watched Sita Ramam around 20 times, but I have completed
it only once to date. I kept coming back to it over the years but never had the
courage to go all the way to the end. After three years, I finally watched the
whole movie again to write this blog, and honestly, knowing how it ends did not
make it hurt any less.
Set between
1964 and 1985, Sita Ramam follows Lieutenant Ram, an orphan serving in
the Indian Army, whose life changes when he receives a letter from a woman
named Sita claiming to be his wife. What begins with a letter slowly turns into
a beautiful love story, only to be separated by circumstances beyond their
control. Years later, Afreen sets out to find Sita and deliver a letter that
has been waiting for 20 years.
But the
beauty of this movie is not only its story, but the way the story is presented
to us. We see the story through Afreen's eyes, and just like her, we know
nothing about Sita and Ram in the beginning. As Afreen starts looking for Sita
and tries to understand what happened between them, we slowly discover their
story along with her. The movie keeps moving between 1964 and 1985, giving us
small pieces of information without revealing everything at once. It almost
feels like we are solving a puzzle, where every new piece makes the story a
little clearer.
Now coming
to its cinematography, it is simply beautiful. Almost every frame feels like a
painting, especially during the first part where Sita and Ram meet and get to
know each other for the first time. They have perfectly captured the setting of
the 1960s, from the locations to the costumes and the overall feel of that era.
And not to forget the snowy mountains of Kashmir, which make the entire love
story feel even more magical and make us feel like we have stepped into their
world and are a part of it.
Now coming
to the film itself, the love story of Sita and Ram never felt rushed. It was
this love story that made us stay, and would eventually give us an unbearable
pain at the end. What started as a letter slowly turned into conversations,
meetings and little moments that made them fall in love with each other. There
were no grand gestures, just two people building a relationship through the
simplest of things. And as life comes full circle, this story too began with a
letter and ended with one.
Dulquer
Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur's acting made this love story as beautiful as Ram
described Sita in the song “Dil Ka Pata”. Dulquer's portrayal of Ram has this
innocence about him that makes it very easy to root for him. He is someone who
has spent most of his life alone, and watching him slowly find a family in Sita
makes his character even more special. Mrunal's Sita, on the other hand, brings
a completely different energy. She is playful, royal and mysterious at the same
time, and I loved how Sita slowly fell for Ram and eventually chose him over
her luxurious life.
This movie
kept me smiling through the entire movie, but the last part of this movie was
no less than heart-wrenching. Probably, if the movie had been very mediocre and
been like every other romantic movie with a happy ending, I would have been
happier. Them meeting after breaking so many barriers, finally being happy and
content with life by having each other, would have been enough for me.
Like the
reality of life, nothing stays for long. Happiness, people, moments, everything
is temporary. And perhaps that is what makes the ending of Sita Ramam so
painful. Just when we think that Ram and Sita have finally crossed every
barrier and can now be together, life takes them in different directions once
again. Twenty years of longing for Sita, waiting for a man who was never going
to return, while Ram's longing for her remained forever trapped in a letter
that could not reach her in time. And probably that was the cruelest part of
the story. They had love, they had compatibility, they had the promise of a
life together, but simply, they didn't have enough time, nor was fate in their
favour.
A love that
started with a letter, lived through memories, waited for 20 years and ended
with another letter. This movie broke something inside me. It had great music,
great artists and an even greater love story.
If I had to
describe this story, I would describe it as Ram getting a family through Sita
and the transformation of Princess Noorjahan into Sita Mahalakshmi, Ram's Sita
Mahalakshmi.
