'This is not a role, it is a responsibility': Ranbir Kapoor on playing Lord Rama

Dubai: Ranbir Kapoor turned 44 on Sunday, and the makers of Ramayana marked it by showing everyone how he became Lord Rama.

A five-minute behind-the-scenes video, titled This is our Rama, was released on 28 September, tracing the actor's preparation for the role. It features director Nitesh Tiwari, producer Namit Malhotra and co-stars Sai Pallavi, Ravie Dubey and Arun Govil, alongside Ranbir himself.

Part 1 of the two-part epic arrives in cinemas at Diwali.

The actor's own contribution is the part being shared most widely.

"Lord Rama's biggest strength is not his bow, it is his Kshama, his ability to forgive. Ye role nahi hai. It's not ki mujhe ek film offer hui hai aur role exciting hai. Ye ek zimmedaari hai," he says in the video.

Translated from the Hindi, that reads: "This is not a role. It's not as if I was offered a film and the role is exciting. It's a responsibility."

He returned to that idea later, framing the challenge as one of belief rather than performance.

"Everything comes down to the belief and simplicity of the individual playing Lord Rama. Every day I reminded myself that my job was not to be worthy of this role. My job was to be worthy of the faith that people place in this story."

The footage goes beyond the finished look.

It covers his physical preparation, on-set filming and blue-screen sequences, giving a sense of how much of the world around him was built afterwards. International action director Terry Notary trained him for the film's action scenes, with stunt professionals brought in from several countries.

Tiwari speaks in the video about the weight of casting for a story this many people grew up with, and the responsibility that comes with choosing who plays Rama.

The most notable endorsement comes from the man who played the role first.

Arun Govil, who was Rama in Ramanand Sagar's 1987 television series and plays King Dashrath here, described Ranbir as the closest among the current generation of actors to play Lord Rama.

Sai Pallavi, who plays Sita, and Ravie Dubey, who plays Lakshman, also speak in the video about what makes him suited to the part.

Ranbir has previously been open about the shadow Govil casts over the role. At the trailer launch in Delhi in July, he said Govil had played Shri Ram with such responsibility, beauty and dignity that it inspired everyone who watched the original series, and that if he could embody even one per cent of that, he would consider himself lucky.

Ramayana is directed by Nitesh Tiwari, whose previous films include Dangal and Chhichhore.

Alongside Ranbir, Sai Pallavi and Yash as Ravana, the cast includes Sunny Deol as Hanuman, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, Arun Govil as Dashrath, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Rakul Preet Singh as Shurpanakha, and Vivek Oberoi, Kunal Kapoor and Shobana in further roles.

It is produced by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios with DNEG, the visual effects company behind eight Academy Award-winning films, and Yash's Monster Mind Creations. The score is a first-time collaboration between AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer.

Sony Pictures distributes globally outside India, with Dharma Productions handling the Hindi-speaking market. The film has been shot for IMAX and will release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

Part 1 arrives worldwide at Diwali this year. Part 2 follows at Diwali 2027, and is already in production.