US vs India battle

On Thursday, Namit joined director Nitesh Tiwari in Mumbai to present the teaser to Indian audiences, offering the first official glimpse of Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama. The actor, however, was not present at the Mumbai unveiling, which coincided with Hanuman Jayanti. The teaser had earlier been launched in Los Angeles and New York City, where Ranbir attended promotional events along with the film’s director and producer. The decision to premiere the footage abroad prompted some social media users to question why the first reveal was not held in India.

Responding to the criticism, Namit asked people to view the move from a broader perspective. He told India Today, “Don’t divide. This is not the time to be divisive. The Indians in America are thanking and appreciating us for having an event in the US; you need to understand the emotion of the Indian people over there.”

Explaining the intention behind the international launch, Namit stated that the film is aimed at audiences across the globe.

He said, “There are Indians all over the world. We should not be divisive; that’s where we go wrong on Ramayana. There’s no division; it’s one world, one Ramayana, and one Rama. The idea is to show it to the entire world. How do we bring awareness? Every Indian knows about Ramayana.”

According to him, the goal is to ensure “that everybody should know about Ramayana.” He added that the team is not focusing on ticket sales yet but on sharing the story with a global audience.

The VFX debate

Ramayana’s producer, Namit Malhotra, is the CEO of DNEG, the company responsible for the special effects of the film. And DNEG isn’t just any other company. The British-founded visual effects company, a subsidiary of the Indian media company Prime Focus Limited, has won Academy Awards for their work on films such as Inception, Interstellar, Ex Machina, Blade Runner 2049, First Man, Tenet, Dune: Part One, and Dune: Part Two. So obviously, the expectations from the VFX were stratospherically high. But that has become one of the most criticised aspects of the teaser, with many arguing the visual effects look like a video game, similar to the criticism which had drowned Adipurush. Add to that the claim of the film being made on a budget of `4,000 crore.

Arun Govil became a household name as Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s iconic Ramayan, which continues to hold a special place in viewers’ hearts even today.

Ranbir steps into the role of Lord Ram in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana, with fans eagerly awaiting his portrayal of the iconic character in the upcoming magnum opus.