So, remember how yesterday we reported that Dreamworks’ next project would be a Bollywood monkey musical based on the epic Hindu poem Ramayan? Yeah, it looks like not everyone is as excited as we were.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that since the reported movie announcement claimed it to be “inspired” by timeless epic Ramayan and Ramayan being a highly revered scripture of Hinduism, film should stay true to the story and the spirit of Ramayan. He stated his belief that insensitive handling of faith traditions sometimes results in pillaging serious spiritual doctrines and revered symbols and hurting the devotees.

“With seasoned and skillful professionals at the helm, we do not expect any problems”, he said, adding that he was simply “just urging for more sensitivity towards faith traditions”. Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that if DreamWorks Animation or their associates in this film needed any expertise on Hinduism related issues, he or other Hindu scholars would gladly provide the resources.

Playing fast and loose with religious doctrine is always going to be tricky, especially with a poem as revered as Ramayan – some Hindus believe that simply reading/hearing it showers blessings upon the reader/listener. We’re pretty sure its not Dreamworks’ intention to make a mockery of one of the world’s oldest religions. But how careful is too careful? More on this as we hear it…