- Ranbir Kapoor defended Ramayana's VFX, highlighting extensive time and effort involved
- Director Nitesh Tiwari said some VFX sequences took nearly three years to complete
- Producer Namit Malhotra noted teaser reactions changed when viewed on IMAX 3D screens
Ranbir Kapoor has a message for those judging the visual effects of Ramayana before watching the film in theatres. The actor has defended the massive VFX work behind the upcoming epic and said people often do not realise how much time and effort goes into creating such visuals.
In a recent chat with Collider, Ranbir spoke about the growing number of people online who closely judge computer-generated visuals after watching a film's teaser or trailer. He said this has become a common trend, especially with people becoming more familiar with AI.
“There's also a new phenomenon right now that in the last few years, there has been such a large number of people online who have become CG critics. They see a trailer and they are always critiquing that it's not good enough or it's seeming like it's not done," Ranbir said.
The actor said the discussion around VFX has changed because audiences are now more interested in how computer-generated imagery is made. However, he feels many people may not know what goes into the process.
“I feel like people are getting more aware, especially with the influx of AI. People are getting more interested in how good the CG is and how good the CG will finally look once the film releases. And I think that is quite funny sometimes. Because people who don't know how CG is done, people think like someone's just used some AI and released something. There are countless hours of work where artists are working for years. I have seen Nitesh sir and Namit sitting on VFX calls ever since this project started, trying to get even the colour of the sky right. It's tricky right now to really impress the audience with authentic CG," said Ranbir Kapoor.
Ramayana's director Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra were also part of the conversation. Nitesh spoke about the amount of work that has gone into Ramayana. He revealed that the team is still working on the finishing touches.
According to the filmmaker, some of the VFX sequences have taken close to three years to complete. The scale of the project has meant that the team has spent a long time working on individual scenes and making sure they are ready for the final film.
Producer Namit Malhotra also addressed the online reaction to the film's earlier teaser. He said the response was very different when the same footage was shown to audiences on a large IMAX screen in 3D.
“When we launched our previous teaser, we heard a fair amount of noise around some aspects of what we had done. And the same people, when we showed it to them on a big IMAX screen in 3D, all of those conversations changed. Because they are also judging stuff on their phones, and not in great condition," said Namit.
He added that Ramayana has been made with the theatrical experience in mind and asked audiences to see the visuals on the big screen before forming an opinion.
“Here we are spending years and millions of dollars to try and make something for that big screen experience that we are waiting patiently to bring to you. And then you judge it on a phone or a not-great internet connection, saying, ‘No, that's not good enough.' Only to be told, when you see it on the big screen it's meant to be consumed on, that it's actually beautiful," he further added.
Namit said the team has also approached creators and influencers to see the work in the format it was made for. He compared the experience with watching Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey in 70mm IMAX, saying that the theatrical format offers something that cannot be matched on a phone.
The producer also spoke about his experience of working with Nolan and said his team understands how different a film can look and sound in a cinema.
“We know for a fact, because we have collaborated with Chris on all his films, that what you see in that theatrical experience, visually and in terms of audio, is completely unique to what you would watch on any digital device. And that exactly proves the point. Come judge it there and if you don't like it, that's fair," said Namit Malhotra.
Ramayana is planned as a two-part film. The first part is scheduled to release worldwide in October 2026, ahead of Diwali, while the second instalment is expected during Diwali 2027.
Apart from Ranbir Kapoor, the film stars Sai Pallavi, Sunny Deol, Ravi Dubey and Yash in important roles.
