On September 28, as Ranbir Kapoor turned 44, the makers of his upcoming film, Ramayana, shared a special treat for his fans. They unveiled a 5-minute video chronicling his transformation into Lord Rama. The video featured producer Namit Malhotra, director Nitesh Tiwari, and actors Ravie Dubey, Arun Govil, and Sai Pallavi talking about Ranbir. The actor himself spoke about what it was like to essay Lord Rama on the big screen.
Ranbir Kapoor on playing Lord Rama
In the video, Ranbir talks about playing Lord Rama, saying he sees the role as a responsibility rather than just another film role. “Lord Rama’s biggest strength is not his bow, it is his Kshama (forgiving nature) – his ability to forgive. Ye role nahi hai. It’s not ki mujhe ek film offer hui hai aur role exciting hai. Ye ek zimmedaari hai (This is not a role. It’s not as if I was offered a film and the role is exciting. It’s a responsibility),” he says.
Later in the video, emphasising his philosophy on taking on the challenge of portraying Lord Rama, Ranbir added, “Everything comes down to the belief and simplicity of the individual playing Lord Rama. Every day I reminded myself that my job was not to be worthy of this role. My job was to be worthy of the faith that people place in this story.”
The Ramayana BTS video
The video offers a look at Ranbir’s preparation for the role, along with glimpses of the film’s cast and the work that has gone into bringing the epic to the big screen.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the two-part film features Ranbir as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Sunny Deol as Hanuman, and Ravi Dubey as Lakshman. The video features Arun Govil, who plays King Dashrath, along with Sai Pallavi and Ravi Dubey, speaking about the qualities that make Ranbir suitable for the role.
Arun Govil, who famously played Lord Rama in Ramanand Sagar’s iconic 1987 TV show, called Ranbir ‘the closest among the current generation of actors to play Lord Rama’.
All about Ramayana
Produced by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios in collaboration with DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, Ramayana is planned as a two-part film.
The first part is scheduled for worldwide release during Diwali 2026, while the second part is set for Diwali 2027. The films will release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam across India.
Sony Pictures will handle global distribution, excluding India, while Dharma Productions will distribute the film in the Hindi-speaking market. The film is also planned for a worldwide IMAX release.
(With inputs from ANI)
