Ranbir Kapoor has said that playing Lord Ram in his upcoming film Ramayana gave him a chance to learn more about the character and become a better human. The actor admitted that he was initially scared when he was offered the role, as he felt it came with a big responsibility.
Ranbir shared his thoughts on playing Lord Ram during an appearance on Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) with his co-stars Sai Pallavi and Ravi Dubey.
During the episode, host Amitabh Bachchan asked Ranbir, Sai Pallavi and Ravi Dubey about their first reactions when they were offered the roles of Lord Ram, Sita Maa and Lakshman, respectively.
Ranbir said his first reaction was fear because he knew that playing Lord Ram was not just another acting role. He also understood that millions of people have faith in Lord Ram, which made the responsibility even bigger.
"When this role was offered to me, I knew that this isn't just a role; it is a big responsibility. My first instinct was fear, that if I am qualified enough to play this role?
“Whether I will be able to do this role? The faith of crores of people is linked to Lord Shri Ram. But very soon this fear turned into gratitude,” he said.
However, the actor added that his initial fear soon turned into gratitude as he realised that he had been given an opportunity to play such an important character.
Ranbir also spoke about how the role came to him around the time he became a father. “I felt gratitude that I got this opportunity at this stage in my life and a chance to become a better human,” he said.
The actor added that working on the film gave him an opportunity to learn more about the epic and work with people he admired. "It's not impossible to become like Lord Ram but to learn something from him is a big deal for all of us," Ranbir said.
Sai Pallavi also spoke about her experience of playing Sita Maa in the film. She said that instead of approaching the character in her usual way, she wanted to understand what she could learn from playing such an important role.
"I didn't want to use my head this time. Every time when I play a character, I think what can I give to that character, but this was the first time when I thought - 'What can I get for playing a role like that of Sita Maa? Like what knowledge will I gain from this?'" she said.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana is a two-part adaptation of the Hindu epic. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita Maa and Ravi Dubey as Lakshman. Yash will play Ravana, while Sunny Deol will be seen as Hanuman. Rakul Preet Singh is also part of the cast as Surpanakha.
The first part of the film is scheduled to be released in theatres on November 5, 2026. The film's music is being composed by Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman.
