3 min readMumbaiApr 22, 2026 06:08 PM IST
Soon, it will mark a month since the first look of Ranbir Kapoor from Ramayana was unveiled, and it has since become fodder for online chatter. While social media has been flooded with a range of reactions to Nitesh Tiwari’s epic, filmmaker Anurag Basu, who has collaborated with Ranbir on films like Barfi and Jagga Jasoos, recently weighed in on the first look and was full of praise for the superstar, saying he “amazingly nailed the look.”
‘Lot of courage to play Lord Ram’
Speaking to Variety India, he said, “The way I had imagined Ranbir as Rama when he signed the film, and what I expected was very good. I expected that this is how Ranbir would look, as he loves challenges. It was very tough, and you need a lot of courage to get into that character to play Ram.”
He also described Ranbir’s decision to take on a film and character as revered as this as highly courageous: “It takes a lot of courage for an actor to say yes. Because people put actors in boxes in our industry. So, I think it is very courageous of him. And from whatever I’ve seen of the film and the images, he has amazingly nailed it. I’m looking forward to it.”
Ranbir Kapoor chose Ramayana over Kishore Kumar biopic
While Basu added that he hopes to collaborate with Ranbir again soon, not many are aware that the actor chose Ramayana over a Kishore Kumar biopic that Basu had offered him. This was something the filmmaker revealed last year. During a conversation with BBC News, the director spoke about how Ranbir had to choose between the two projects due to clashing schedules. “Ranbir had a tough choice in life, Kishore Kumar or Ramayana. It was very difficult for him. In the end, he chose Ramayana, and I think it was the right decision,” he said.
Ranbir Kapoor on playing double role
Earlier this month, Ranbir revealed that he is not only playing the role of Lord Rama in the film but will also portray Lord Parshurama. Speaking about his double role to Collider, Ranbir shared: “Lord Vishnu had different avatars. Lord Rama was an avatar, and Lord Parshurama was an avatar before Lord Rama.” He added, “Just to get the opportunity, you know, how I got to play Lord Rama, to also play Lord Parshurama was fantastic. I think as an actor, apart from body language, I think if you deeply understand the spirituality and the emotionality of the characters, I think everything starts from there. I think that’s what I did the year leading up to the shoot of Ramayana, to understand who these people and characters are, what they stand for and what their motives are.”
Ramayana is set to release on Diwali 2026. The film also stars Yash as Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. The film is directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra. Its second part is slated for release next year during Diwali.
