When the first glimpse of Ramayana was unveiled earlier this year, it all began with Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama. The Rama Glimpse, as it was called, showcased the actor as the deity for the first time. And even as Ranbir earned considerable praise from fans, the actor has admitted that he felt fear and doubt while taking on the role, before it all turned into gratitude.
‘There was so much of fear and doubt’
On Thursday, Ranbir joined co-star Yash, director Nitesh Tiwari, and producer Namit Malhotra at a panel for Ramayana at the San Diego Comic Con. On the sidelines of the event, the actor was asked about his feelings bringing to the big screen someone as iconic as Lord Rama. He responded, “I remember when the film was first offered to me, there was so much of fear, so much of doubt. ‘Will I be able to do this, am I capable enough?’ But I think that doubt changed into gratitude very early on. I think it was a blessing, an opportunity of a lifetime, and a moral responsibility. The Ramayana is ingrained in our subconscious. Lord Rama is the conscience keeper of millions of people around the world for generations, for more than 4000 years. He is somebody who embodies the triumph of the human spirit in times of adversities. He stands for courage, compassion, forgiveness, righteousness, and just to have the opportunity to represent that is very daunting.”
But Ranbir added that after taking on the role, he understood what it takes to keep it authentic and genuine. “Very early on, I understood that it just requires lot of faith, lot of belief, lot of truthfulness, and noble intentions. Our entire cast and crew had one noble intention, and that is to tell the story as authentically as we can,” added Ranbir.
Yash defends Ranbir Kapoor
During the panel, Yash, his co-star, also defended Ranbir’s casting as Lord Rama. “Nobody in this world can come and say, ‘I have the virtue to play Lord Rama’. The fact that he (Ranbir) said the same says it all. He is a fabulous actor. It’s not easy to play Lord Rama and the way he has really worked, huge respect to him,” said the actor.
Ramayana trailer postponed
The Ramayana team’s appearance at the San Diego Comic Con was set to culminate with the global launch of its trailer on Friday morning. However, hours before the scheduled trailer release at 8 AM, it was postponed. Producer Namit Malhotra wrote on social media, “Today is a very special moment for our “Ramayana”, my dream of taking Ramayana to the world is now a reality with our partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment. In light of the above we will be launching our trailer now globally at a later date. “In over 100 years of indian cinema this will become a moment of great pride where Ramayana will be shown to the entire world like any major global Hollywood film. This is special as it opens the door for people of the world to discover the richness of our culture and our stories with renewed pride and enthusiasm.”
All about Ramayana
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana is a two-part epic with the first part releasing in theatres this November. Apart from Ranbir Kapoor and Yash, the film also stars Sai Pallavi as Sita, along with Ravie Dubey, Sunny Deol, Rakul Preet Singh, Lara Dutta, Arun Govil, Vivek Oberoi, Kunal Kapoor, and a large ensemble cast. Ramayana Part One will release in theatres in November.