Nitesh Tiwari’s magnum opus Ramayana: Part 1 has been shattering box office records since its release last week. Starring Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Yash as Ravana, and Sai Pallavi as Sita, the mythological drama opened to mixed reviews from the critics and audience. A section of the internet also criticised Ramayana’s casting choices, character portrayals, and costumes. In a recent interview, actor Lata Dutta, who played the role of Kaikeyi in the film, broke silence on the social media debate about her ‘modern’ costume for the role.Along with Sai Pallavi and Ranbir Kapoor’s looks as Sita and Ram, Lata Dutta’s wardrobe also faced a lot of backlash after the film’s trailer release. In fact, a frame of Kaikeyi in in a maroon saree and a green blouse went viral on the internet, with many saying it looked ‘too modern’ for Treta Yug. During a conversation with News 18, the actor reacted to the constant chatter and said, “I know what the reason was for us to pick certain kinds of garments and the way that we wanted those to be depicted.”Recalling her discussions with director Nitesh Tiwari, she continued, “It’s such a vast project that you’re undertaking and one nitpicked on such tiny things! One of my first conversations with Nitesh sir was that if Kaikeyi came from the kingdom of Kekaya, wouldn’t her jewellery be very different from the other two queens? Wouldn’t she bring her own stree-dhan?”Lara Dutta further expressed how she decided to surrender to the makers’ vision. “But if you want to get into such minute details, then you’re opening up a Pandora’s box and then you would’ve historians and other experts coming up and saying, ‘Oh, how can this be shown and depicted?’ So, there was a standardisation that was decided to be adopted across all three kingdoms – Mithila, Ayodhya and Lanka – to differentiate between those cultures,” she shared.ALSO READ | Ramayana Worldwide Box Office Collection Day 7 LIVE: Ranbir Kapoor film enters Rs 1000 cr club, breaks Dhurandhar 2 record in Kerala‘People are allowed to have opinions’She added, “So, that’s the aesthetic that was chosen and stuck to. Sometimes, you’ve to believe in something, in a vision that’s larger than yourself and everybody else. You’ll have to really believe in the larger picture. Our producer and director have been really able present something [incredible] onscreen.”The actor also emphasised that she was extremely happy with the output of her film. “I mean, I was a part of the film and I’ve been on that set and yet I couldn’t believe what I was watching onscreen when the final result came out. Of course, people are absolutely allowed to have their own opinions and I think that it’s wonderful to have debates and discussions.”Story continues below this adRamayana designers defended their costume choicesAfter receiving criticism for the costumes in Ramayana: Part 1’s trailer, costume designers Rimple Narulah and Harpreet Narula, of the designer label Rimple Harpreet, defended their creative choices.In a recent interview with Indian Express, Rimple, who has been working in the field with her husband Harpreet for over 26 years, said, “I know a lot of hue and cry happened over stitched blouses in Treta Yuga. I understand. I am a designer who has delivered award-winning cinema to you guys. So it’s okay if people were quick to judge us. All I want to say is that when the responsibility is given to Rimple and Harpreet, who have been custodians of history and culture for so many years via films or our own creations with our established couture label, have faith in us!”She added, “Whenever a project of this scale happens, there is always nervousness because nowadays, people are very quick to decide the fate of anything…challenging their brain…something like this with thousands of iterations, repetitions…not a news story …and has lived in a collective consciousness of people for so many decades….to remake something like this…always invites debate. But I was super excited when we had got finalised for making the costumes. Soon after, the exhilaration had turned into responsibility. The moment it was all finalised, we had to deliver something visually appealing.”