Ever since the makers of Ramayana announced that Ranbir Kapoor would be playing Lord Ram, the casting choice has drawn mixed reactions. While some fans welcomed the announcement, others resurfaced old videos of statements made by the actor. Now, in a newly released video to celebrate Ranbir Kapoor’s birthday, filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari, producer Namit Malhotra and actors Arun Govil, Ravie Dubey and Sai Pallavi have shared their perspectives on why they believe Ranbir was the right choice for the role, with the actor also opening up about the responsibility he feels.

In the video, Nitesh Tiwari said, “In India, we believe that even if we imbibe just 1% of what Shri Ram was, that will make us a great human being. So just imagine, the kind of human he must have been. And that’s why, the casting of Shri Ram is next to impossible. We can only attempt. When Namit discussed Ranbir’s name, I too thought that he checked all the boxes.”

Actor Arun Govil, who plays Dashrath in this film and is widely known as the OG Ram from Ramanand Sagar’s iconic Ramayan, said, “Speaking about Ranbir, the way I had imagined Ram would have been—I see certain things in Ranbir. And you don’t expect a star to come touch your feet, but he always did that to me on set. If you compare with all the available younger stars of today, Ranbir comes closest to playing Ram.”

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Ranbir Kapoor, meanwhile, spoke about what Lord Ram’s greatest strength meant to him.

“The biggest weapon of Shri Ram wasn’t his bow and arrow, but his ability to forgive. This is not just another role for me. It is a responsibility. I think everything just comes down to the simplicity and belief of the individual playing Lord Ram,” he said.

The actor added, “There is a well-known principle from our Vedic texts that reads: ‘Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah.’ Dharma protects those who uphold it. 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 placed in this role.”

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Ramayana producer Namit Malhotra also spoke about the decision to cast Ranbir Kapoor.

“That sincerity and face of Ranbir became for Nitesh and I not a reason to debate,” he said.

Sai Pallavi recalled seeing a familiar image of Lord Ram in Ranbir when she first met him.

“I don’t know if it’s quite famous, but there is this picture of a slender Ram and his head is a little tilted and there is a very small, petite Sita. That’s the image I remember from my childhood. Now, suddenly, I could see that Ram that I had seen in my childhood and I was awestruck,” she said.

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Ravie Dubey also shared his perspective, saying, “I strongly believed that the simplicity we hear about Lord Ram is the same simplicity I see in Ranbir Kapoor’s eyes.”

Ranbir Kapoor initially felt he wasn’t ‘fit enough’ to play Lord Ram

Ranbir Kapoor’s current comments about the role are markedly different from his initial reaction when he was first offered the part.

Speaking at a Q&A during the New York special IMAX trailer screening, Ranbir recalled his reaction when Namit approached him.

“Coming to play Lord Ram, I remember when Namit offered me this part around four years back, my instant reaction was: ‘I am not fit enough, good enough.’ I felt I wouldn’t be able to do full justice. But that fear quickly turned into gratitude because opportunities like this were something I truly needed in my life,” he said.

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The actor added, “There was a period when I needed to change my lifestyle. I had just become a father for the first time. The sweet coincidence of playing Lord Ram and becoming a father became a turning point in my life.”

Ravie Dubey had previously spoken about how playing a character from the Ramayana had changed his own routine.

“That role changed me. I had to transform myself to do justice to it because the audience can easily tell when you are faking it. I completely altered my routine. In fact, all of us did, including Ranbir Kapoor. He has sacrificed so much for this film. This feels more like a yagya. We all did everything in our power to stay true to these characters in how we behave, react, and even speak,” Dubey told Ranveer Allahbadia.

Previously, reports had also claimed that Ranbir Kapoor had given up alcohol and non-vegetarian food while preparing for the role of Lord Ram.

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Ramayana is all set to hit theaters on Diwali this year with the second part scheduled to release next Diwali.