Nitesh Tiwari’s film ‘Ramayana’ has been released in theaters across the world today on 5th November. Ranbir Kapoor, who is playing the role of Lord Ram in the film, has spoken openly about his experiences and challenges of playing this character. The actor admitted that it was not easy for him to portray a revered character like Lord Ram on screen. He went through many fears and insecurities while playing this role. According to Ranbir, while playing a mythological character, an actor has to limit his creative freedom because the audience’s faith and expectations related to the original texts are also important. In an interview given to BBC Asian Network, Ranbir and Sai Pallavi, who is playing the role of Mother Sita in the film, talked in detail about this responsibility.
It was not easy to do anything as per your wish in ‘Ramayana’
Ranbir Kapoor said that while playing a fictional character in modern films, the actor has the freedom to do many experiments on his own behalf. Giving the example of his films ‘Animal’ and ‘Brahmastra’, he said that such characters have creative freedom to a certain extent. But in the case of ‘Ramayana’ the situation was different. This is a book thousands of years old and the emotions of crores of people are attached to it. In such a situation, the artist should try to remain faithful to the original story and not make unnecessary changes from his side. The actor said that while playing this role, many questions came to his mind. He also had to think whether his acting would hurt the sentiments of any community or whether he would be able to live up to people’s expectations. According to Ranbir, the biggest challenge was not to let these fears dominate his work. He said that an artiste should have faith in the story, should have respect for it and should keep his acting natural.
‘I was completely surrounded by fear and insecurity’
Regarding playing the role of Lord Ram, Ranbir admitted that initially he was very scared. He told that when an actor plays the role of God, he becomes more cautious about his gestures, way of walking, clothes and facial expressions. He starts feeling that this character should be played in a particular way. In such a situation, the artist may sometimes make his acting more serious than necessary. Ranbir said that the same thing had happened with him too. He started doubting himself. He wondered whether he was at the right age for the role and whether he would be able to do justice to an ideal personality like Lord Ram. There were many insecurities and questions in his mind. However, he also realized that such an opportunity does not come again and again. So he came out of his fear and decided to accept this challenge.
‘It is important to understand Lord Ram as a human being’
Ranbir believes that to bring mythological characters closer to the audience, it is important to present them with human emotions. He said that instead of showing such characters only in an ideal or divine form, their sensitivities, weaknesses and emotions should also be understood. This allows the audience to connect with them and makes the story more believable. According to the actor, adding human aspects to the character is an important way to make it effective.
Sai Pallavi spoke from the heart about the character of Sita
In the interview, Sai Pallavi also shared her experiences of playing the role of Mother Sita. He said that his spiritual upbringing helped him understand the character. According to Sai, she learns something new from every film and sometimes a character brings out aspects of her personality that even she herself was not familiar with before. ‘Ramayana’ was more of a spiritual experience for him than just acting. Sai said that she did not want to approach the character of Sita only from the perspective of giving her best performance. His effort was to dedicate himself completely to this role. She told that as Mata Sita, she felt that this character should be played the way she imagined it and the way God would have wanted.
‘Ramayana’ has been prepared in two parts
‘Ramayana’, produced by Namit Malhotra and directed by Nitesh Tiwari, has been prepared in two parts. In the film, Ranbir Kapoor is playing the role of Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi is playing the role of Mata Sita, Yash Ravana, Sunny Deol is playing the role of Hanuman and Ravi Dubey is playing the role of Laxman. Prime Focus Studios has produced it in collaboration with DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations. Oscar-winning composers Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman have collaborated for the first time for the film’s music. At the same time, DNEG has taken over the responsibility of its visual effects. Made keeping in mind the large international audience, this film has also been released in IMAX format.
Also read: Will Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Ramayan’ be able to make the opening record? Even after advance booking of Rs 125 crore, there is tough competition from top 5 openers
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