Ranbir Kapoor is not sidestepping the backlash around Ramayana’s VFX. He is meeting it head on, with a clear reminder that the film’s visual world has demanded years of labour from artists working at an enormous scale. Backed by Prime Focus Studios, in association with DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana has been mounted as a two part franchise, with Ramayana: Part 1 scheduled for a Diwali 2026 release.
Ranbir Kapoor Responds To Ramayana Scrutiny With A Direct Defence
Speaking about the pressure of stepping into the role of Lord Rama, Ranbir said, “The first question that popped into my head was, am I worthy? Am I the right person and why am I being gifted this responsibility to not play Lord Rama but represent him? But very soon you understand the value, the responsibility and the noble intention of the filmmakers to present the story, which has been relevant for 4,000 years. It’s deeply ingrained in our subconscious. So I don’t think there’s a right actor to play Lord Rama.”
He also addressed the debate around casting with unusual candour, saying, “All the people who have watched Ramayan, they all have their own interpretation of Lord Ram. There is no fixed face to it. Many people will probably feel like I am the wrong casting. Some people will say I am the right casting. But the honest truth is that the right casting for Ram would be any actor who has the right intentions and who has belief and faith in the journey of Lord Ram.”
On his preparation for the film, Ranbir said, “I always feel that kind of preparation, making a body or action and dance, is kind of easy because that is a bit superficial. But to really understand the philosophy of Lord Rama deeply at this age and this point in my life was really important to embody this character. You want to give it your best and be simple and not complicated. You want to be someone with whom someone age to age 80 can relate. Understanding the teachings of Lord Rama was more important than the superficial transformation.”
He added, “I read a lot, met with a lot of scholars. I practised yoga for two years. I had a guru called Suvir who used to sit and meditate with me for hours to get me really close to the teachings of Lord Rama. It’s really understanding the text because we have that. There are so many versions and iterations”
Those remarks also explain why Ramayana now stands at the centre of a particularly important stretch in Ranbir’s career, where scale alone is no longer the story.
Why Ramayana Could Become Ranbir Kapoor’S Most Defining Post Animal Move
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana stars Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash, Ravi Dubey and Sunny Deol, with music by Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman. Its scale has turned it into one of the most closely watched Hindi productions currently in the works, and that attention arrives at a moment when Ranbir’s stardom is operating at full force.
Ranbir was last seen in Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar and Animal, both of which released in 2023. While Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar gave him a mainstream romantic hit, Animal became the biggest commercial success of his career and sharpened his standing as one of Hindi cinema’s most bankable stars.
That is what raises the stakes around Ramayana. Coming after a major box office high, the film places Ranbir inside a role loaded with mythology, emotional weight and audience expectation across generations. His upcoming slate underlines that ambition further. He is also set to star in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love & War alongside Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal, which is scheduled for January 21, 2027.
For Ranbir, then, Ramayana is not just the next release on a winning run. It is the film that could shape how this chapter of his career is remembered.
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