Actor Indira Krishna, who plays Kaushalya in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, has seen Ranbir Kapoor in two very different avatars. She played his mother-in-law in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal, where he portrayed the aggressive and volatile Ranvijay Singh. Now, she shares screen space with him again in Ramayana, where he takes on the role of Lord Ram. Having witnessed both performances up close, Indira says the transformation has been remarkable.
Speaking about the difference between the two characters, Indira recalled how Ranbir had completely immersed himself in Ranvijay Singh's personality in Animal.
"I remember that in Animal, he had completely adopted Ranvijay Singh's attitude. He would walk onto the set with that attitude and perform with the same energy. He had this 'I don't care' kind of attitude throughout, and he changed his body language accordingly," she said.
However, meeting him on the sets of Ramayana was a completely different experience for her.
"When I met him on the sets of Ramayana, I was like, 'Oh my God, what a drastic change!' He greeted me with, 'Hello ma'am, how are you?' And I was like, 'What? Is this the same man I am meeting?'" she recalled.
Having seen him portray both characters, Indira described the difference as "zameen aasmaan ka farq" (drastic transformation).
"I have seen him as Ranvijay Singh in Animal and now as Shri Ram in Ramayana. The difference is like zameen aasmaan ka farq. Making such a drastic transition from a film like Animal to portraying Shri Ram is not easy for any actor. The trolling he faced when it was announced that he would be playing Shri Ram was terrible. But he took all of that in his stride. He did not try to prove himself through words. He proved himself through his skills and his body language," she said.
Indira also spoke about the responsibility Ranbir carried while portraying a character as revered as Lord Ram. According to her, the actor understood the significance of the role and remained mindful of it throughout the shoot.
"The responsibility of portraying Shri Ram is huge. You are portraying such an important deity through an actor, and people have so much faith and emotion attached to this character. Ranbir understood that responsibility. From the time he arrived on set to the time he left, he maintained that importance," she said.
She was equally impressed by his dedication and the effort he put into getting every scene right. Indira said Ranbir worked closely with the director, technicians and fellow actors, never allowing the demands of the shoot to become an excuse.
"Hats off to Ranbir. I have to say that he is an actor par excellence. There was not a single day or moment when he said, 'Oh no, this is not happening.' The way he thought, the words he used on set and the way he dealt with the technicians, fellow actors and Nitesh ji were remarkable. He would never be satisfied with a shot until Nitesh ji approved it. They would always go for another take, sometimes at his insistence and sometimes at the director's. The kind of inputs Ranbir has put in are absolutely immaculate," she said.
One of the scenes that stayed with Indira was the sequence in which Kaushalya blesses Lord Ram before he goes into battle. The scene required Ranbir, dressed in heavy armour, to bend down and take his mother's blessings. Indira, meanwhile, was wearing a costume weighing approximately 12 kg.
"So, the camera pans between Kaushalya's face and Ram's face as they look at each other. It is an emotional moment between a mother and her son. Ranbir was wearing heavy armour and had to bend down completely to take the blessings. We had to coordinate the entire movement carefully. It was a demanding shot, and we spent more than half a day on it," she recalled.
Indira also spoke warmly about Sai Pallavi, who plays Sita in the film. She described Ranbir and Sai as a particularly grounded and dedicated pair, adding that their performances felt natural.
"What they had in common was their grounded nature, their dedication to work and their effortless acting skills. They were both so natural that they didn't have to make any extra effort to build their characters. But Ranbir worked really hard to bring Ram to life," she said.
Speaking about Sai's portrayal of Sita, Indira said her natural appearance and personality added to the character.
"Sai Pallavi was very natural as Sita. Her hair was natural, she had a very sweet smile, and her personality is also very calm and composed. She has that natural quality which works beautifully for the character," Indira said.
The actor recalled one particularly challenging sequence in which she had to hold baby Ram aloft while standing on a podium at Film City's helipad. The podium was more than 50 feet high, and the sequence was shot in the scorching June heat. Wearing her heavy costume made the experience even more demanding. While a real child was held close to her, a baby mould was used for the shot in which she had to raise the baby above her head.
For Indira, the experience of working on Ramayana has been particularly special, not least because it gave her the opportunity to co-star with Ranbir once again, this time in a role that is worlds apart from their relationship in Animal.
Also Read | 'Blockbuster Of Epic Proportions': What Celebrities Are Saying About Ramayana
