- Ranbir Kapoor compared Pushpak Viman to Elon Musk's flying car Roadster during an interview
- Director Nitesh Tiwari revealed it took about two years to finalize the Pushpak Viman design
- Pushpak Viman is described as traveling at the speed of thought and expanding for passengers
During a recent conversation, Ranbir Kapoor compared the mythical Pushpak Viman (the flying chariot in Ramayana) to Elon Musk's newly-launched flying car, Roadster, claiming India had it 5,000 years ago.
Ranbir made the remark during a special interview with TV presenter Suma on her show Chat Show, where he was joined by co-stars Ravi Dubey, Rakul Preet Singh and Yash, along with director Nitesh Tiwari.
The conversation primarily focused on the use of fantastical elements, weapons in the film and how the team re-imagined them in the current scenario.
Ranbir, who plays Lord Rama, brought Elon Musk into the conversation to emphasise India's age-old creative vision.
"Elon Musk recently invented a flying car. I think India did it 5,000 years ago!" he said, referring to the Pushpak Viman.
During the same interview, director Nitesh Tiwari also revealed that it took around two years to build the Pushpak Viman.
He said, "It took us close to two years to arrive at the final design, and a lot changed along the way. That's why we took so much time to create the Ravana and Jatayu fight. When we were working on the earlier design of the Pushpaka Vimana, we'd imagined it would look a certain way, so the fight was choreographed accordingly. However, once we finalised a slightly different design for the Vimana, we had to go through several iterations to make it fit the existing choreography."
The Ramayana describes the Pushpak Viman as capable of travelling at the speed of thought and expanding to accommodate as many passengers as needed. The enormous flying structure also features in the film's trailer, offering a glimpse of the makers' innovation.
The comparison comes as Tesla's next-generation Roadster has been back in the spotlight.
Musk unveiled the long-delayed electric sports car at an event in Waco, Texas, on October 15, nearly a decade after first revealing the new version.
During a demonstration at SpaceX's rocket development and testing facility, the car drove upside down along a large curved ramp, flipped in the air and landed safely. Musk's reaction after the demonstration was brief: "Well, it worked."
As per the Hindu mythology, the Viman (airborne palace) was created by Vishwakarma, the celestial architect, for Lord Brahma. He then gave the Vimana as a gift to Kubera, the God of wealth and half-brother of Ravana. Ravana stole the Pushpak Viman from Kubera after defeating him.
Ramayana will release in theatres on November 5 worldwide.