Legendary Star Ranbir Kapoor Says His Latest Film Is “Nothing Less Than Lord of the Rings” [Exclusive]

From director Nitesh Tiwari, with an expansive story by Shridhar Raghavan, comes one of India’s most anticipated features of 2026: Ramayana. At an exclusive early preview, Collider’s Steve Weintraub had the opportunity to talk with the film’s lead, Ranbir Kapoor, who has the esteemed honor of portraying not only Lord Rama in the movie, but is pulling double duty representing Lord Parshuram, as well. In this interview, Kapoor talks with us about the responsibility of the role, why he initially turned it down, and why this is a must-see in IMAX.

Ramayana, told in two parts, is a sweeping, timeless epic from producer and filmmaker Namit Malhotra. In the movie, Heaven and Earth are inching closer to chaos, and to restore the balance, the Trinity god Vishnu must descend to Earth as an avatar, Rama (Kapoor). Rama is a prince whose opposition is the formidable and immortal demon king Ravana (Yash). Unfortunately, Rama does not yet realize that his destiny is to confront this vengeful demon in a clash so catastrophic that the fate of the gods and mortals hang in its balance. In the movie, Kapoor leads a star-studded ensemble, including Sai Pallavi as Sita, Sunny Deol as Hanuman, and Ravi Dubey as Lakshman.​​

Don’t miss the full conversation in the video above, or the transcript below, where Kapoor discusses the importance of the whirlwind global promotion of Ramayana, why he first declined the role, and the gratitude and responsibility he feels representing this story. Kapoor also talks about why audiences must see Ramayana in IMAX if they’re able, Indian cinema’s reach across the world since films like 2022’s RRR (and long before), and growing up among cinema royalty.

Ranbir Kapoor Shares His Favorite Fan Moments as a Movie Geek

He tells stories about Al Pacino, Bill Murray, Quentin Tarantino, and more.

Image via New Line Cinema

COLLIDER: We’re in Los Angeles right now, and literally yesterday you were on set in India filming part two. What were you filming yesterday, and what is it like to just jump on a plane and fly around the world?

RANBIR KAPOOR: Well, I won’t lie, it is a bit hard and daunting, but moments like this and films like this come very rarely in a person’s life, and when you’re so proud of something, you’re so inspired, you want to travel the world and try and pass on the message that this film is coming out and what the movie’s about. So, yes, it is tiring, but the immense faith and intention that we have behind making this film, I think that just pulls us all together.

Can you tease what you were filming on set?

KAPOOR: We’re already halfway done filming part two, at least my portions. It’s even more exciting than what you guys have seen.

I won’t pressure you anymore. I like asking a few fun questions to actors, and this is my fun question for you: Have you ever asked for someone’s autograph?

KAPOOR: Absolutely. Much like yourselves, I’m a big geek of movies. I’ve been watching a film a day for the last 35 years. Apart from my local heroes, where I grew up in India, when I’ve traveled, I’ve been shooed away by Natalie Portman, Quentin Tarantino has shown me the finger, and I’ve met Bill Murray. Al Pacino was doing a reading of Salomé on Broadway; I was a student at that time, and I stood outside for three hours just to get a shout-out from him. Met [Robert] DeNiro in India. These are my screen idols, and just to meet them has given me immense joy.

Coming as a fan, how much has that impacted when you’re meeting your fans? How much has that changed you, knowing that you’ve been on the other side, where you stood in line for three hours wanting to meet someone? You have a lot of fans, so does that play a little factor with you?

KAPOOR: Absolutely. I feel a lot of gratitude. Sometimes it’s disbelief, like, “All of these people want to take my autograph or take a picture with me?” Also, I come from a film family. I’m fourth generation, so my family has been contributing to Indian cinema for close to 100 years. I’ve seen it around me while growing up. I’ve seen people with immense success, even with immense failure, and I think that really balanced me out very early on. So, I don’t get swayed by success or get disheartened by failure.

Ranbir Kapoor Says ‘Ramayana’ Is India’s Answer to the Greatest Global Epics

“It’s nothing less than Lord of the Rings.”

World of Ramayana

A lot of people in America who are going to be watching this interview won’t actually know the story, won’t know much about the history. What can you tease people about the movie? Why does it mean so much to you and so many people around the world?

KAPOOR: Well, it is the greatest epic to come from my country, India. Apart from the entertainment and every emotion that it will give you, there are a lot of life lessons that you can take from a film like Ramayana and the characters. I’m extremely excited that the West, the entire world, and the entire global audience will get to sample this story.

One of the things about being the main character in a movie like this is that it has to, as an actor, be very daunting. Your whole career has led to this moment, so what was it like for you in the months leading up to that first day of filming, to get your head around what you would be doing mentally and physically?

KAPOOR: Steve, if I can go back a year before filming is when I felt the jitters, when there was a lot of fear. But I think by the time it was a month before filming, I felt so much gratitude to get this opportunity. It was a blessing of Lord Ram that I got to play this — nobody can represent him, but to actually surrender myself to the character that I played.

A month before, if I can remember, I was chasing the director, Nitesh Tiwari, to try to take as much as I could about the story, about the journey of Ram. Because it’s limitless, right? There is not just a definite “this is it, and this is what you play.” So, I think really to truly surrender to the part, to make certain sacrifices about your life, make certain changes to really feel close to what you’re trying to engage the audience with, I think a month before shoot, I was all there.

In the new trailer that will be out by the time people watch this, there’s a shot of you swinging on a branch with a creature, and it reminded me a little bit of Legolas in The Lord of the Rings. It was just this massive spectacle. So, what can you tease people in terms of some of the spectacle and the cool things that you do in these movies?

KAPOOR: Like you said, Steve, you know, it’s nothing less than Lord of the Rings. It’s our greatest epic spectacle coming from our country, and this was just a teaser. We have six hours of epic visuals and epic action sequences, emotions. It teaches you to be a better son, a better husband, a better brother. It’s the triumph of good over evil. There are so many different layers of storytelling happening with this film that I’m really excited for people to sample it.

There is significant buzz about you playing both Lord Ram and Parshuram. How are you using your body language and voice to differentiate between the two distinct divine entities, one representing calm and the other righteous fury?

KAPOOR: Well, you’ve done your homework pretty well. Just to give you a backstory, Lord Vishnu had different avatars. Lord Ram is one avatar; Lord Parshuram was an avatar before Lord Rām. And just to get the opportunity, like how I got to play Lord Rām, to also play Lord Parshuram was fantastic.

As an actor, apart from body language, if you deeply understand the spirituality, the emotionality of characters, I think everything starts from there. That’s what I did that year, leading to the shoot of Ramayana, was to really understand who these people are, who these characters are, what they stand for, what their motives are, and then everything just becomes easier.

Every generation has its Rām. How do you detach yourself from those legendary benchmarks to ensure your version feels fresh without being disrespectful to the core sentiments?

KAPOOR: Like I said, it’s a responsibility. It’s a responsibility that you’re carrying on your shoulders. Because, like I mentioned earlier, you can’t really play him. You are representing. You’re telling, as an actor, your version of Lord Rām. So, the responsibility, the intention, the faith, and the belief that I have as an actor, I have as an Indian, towards this story, towards Lord Rām, I think that’s where it all begins.

So, Rama is often described as the ideal man. After living in this character’s skin for so long, what is the one quality of Rama that has actually rubbed off on you, the person?

KAPOOR: I think the leading qualities which really stand out to me, apart from all there is, are his compassion, his courage, his ability to forgive, and righteousness. There is a saying in the scriptures, “Tara Maa protects those who uphold it,” and I think that’s something that really stayed with me.

How ‘RRR’ Impacted Indian Cinema’s Reach in the West

“Indian cinema has been a leading nation in making cinema.”

You’ve been working in Indian cinema for decades. How have you seen Indian cinema change over the last 20 years? And I’m curious, with the success of RRR in America, how much that may have opened the Western audiences for Indian cinema, from your perspective?

KAPOOR: Yes, of course. RRR made a huge impact, which was two years back, but I’ve always believed that a good story really translates and travels, irrespective of language, which could be a barrier. I think Indian cinema has been a leading nation in making cinema. My grandfather’s films, which were in the 1950s, traveled to Russia, to Japan, to different parts of the world. I think with every generation, we are taking giant steps, where a larger audience is sampling our movies and giving respect to our cinema. I think with Ramayana, the intention is to really take Indian cinema, take a giant leap, and really make a large audience sample our movies.

People don’t realize the long hours it takes to make a movie. Making one movie is an immense challenge, but you’re filming two, I believe, back to back. What is it like for you to maintain that stamina and energy when it’s such a long production?

KAPOOR: Again, it goes back to faith and belief, because you believe in it. The intention of all the makers, the cast, and crew is so positive, and everybody has this full energy to tell the story in the best way possible. I think that’s something which really keeps us going. Where the story starts and where it continues to go is a very exciting narrative for an actor just to be part of that.

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What was it actually like for you reading the script for the first time? Because it’s one thing to hear what you’re going to do, it’s another thing to actually read that script. What was something that you couldn’t believe was on the page? What was something that made you say, “How are we going to film this?”

KAPOOR: It was a journey because when Namit [Malhotra] offered me this part, he didn’t narrate the script to me. He just said, “Listen, I’m making this film. What do you feel about playing Lord Rām?” And out of fear, my instinct reaction was, “No, I can’t do it. I’m not fit enough for it.” But then, over a period of time, Namit took me through his vision and what he was doing with the film.

Then, when I met Nitesh Sir, and he narrated the story to me, I could not thank my stars that I was in the right place at the right time, getting the opportunity to be part of a film like this, to play Lord Rām. I still have to pinch myself to understand that I am playing Lord Rām, and that’s something which is probably a big turning point in my life and career.

Why IMAX Is the Best Way To Experience ‘Ramayana’

“It just blew my mind.”

World of Ramayana

I want to bring up the IMAX of it all. I can’t wait to watch this in IMAX. It’s my favorite format for the big screen experience, and more and more audiences around the world now understand what IMAX means. Can you talk about why you’re going to want to see this in IMAX, and what it is like making a movie that’s going to be on these massive, massive screens?

KAPOOR: I guess when you’re telling such epic stories, which are such big-scale event films, this is probably one of the biggest IMAXs I’ve ever seen in my life.

We should mention we’re in the AMC Burbank.

KAPOOR: AMC Burbank.

This is one of James Cameron’s favorite theaters.

KAPOOR: It just blew my mind. It’s like you’re immersed. You’re in there. And Ramayana is a story that should be sampled in IMAX. That’s where you really feel the experience of the movie.

Speaking of movie theaters, I love seeing movies in movie theaters. Do you have a favorite movie theater? It could be anywhere that you’ve been.

KAPOOR: Yes. There is a theater in India called Gaiety Galaxy. That’s where I grew up, going to watch movies. We have a system where there is a stall and a balcony. The stall is where everyone’s really having a party, like they’re throwing money on the screen and throwing papers all over. People in the balcony are a little bit more dignified, if I might say, looking down at all the people having fun. But my earliest memories of cinema and larger-than-life characters started from that place, Gaiety Galaxy.

Your family is essentially a royal family when it comes to cinema in India. At what point in your life did you realize, “Actually, I think I am going to want to be an actor. I do want to do this?” When did it hit you?

KAPOOR: Everyone in my family just took it for granted that “Probably, he’ll grow up to be an actor or a director.” But growing up in a film family, there was no sense of ego or, “This is a very easy thing for me to do,” because all people are successful in my family because they’re extremely hardworking, extremely passionate. Everybody had an individualistic approach towards their work, and that’s why they were successful. That’s the learning I got very early on in my life, that unless I have my own individual approach to my work, my own stories to tell, it’ll be hard for me. So, yeah, it was amazing to feel the passion, to feel that energy and madness towards cinema. That was very contagious growing up.

Ramayana: Part 1 opens in theaters and IMAX globally this fall, during Diwali 2026. Part 2 is currently in production and slated to debut globally during Diwali 2027.

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Release Date

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November 8, 2026

Director

Nitesh Tiwari

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Writers

Shridhar Raghavan

Producers

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Yash, Namit Malhotra

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