Ranbir Kapoor has hit back at the criticism that followed his casting as Lord Ram in Ramayana, insisting he is the right actor for the role. The Ranbir Kapoor Ram casting debate has run since the two-part epic was first announced, and the actor addressed it head-on during the film’s promotional visit to San Diego Comic-Con, in comments recirculated on Friday, 6 November 2026, the day after the film’s release.
Ranbir admitted that even he doubted his selection when the role was first offered to him. “The first question that popped into my head was, am I worthy? Am I the right person, and why am I being gifted this responsibility to not play Lord Rama but represent him?” he said. It was an unusually honest admission from a leading man about the weight of playing a figure revered by hundreds of millions.
“There Is No Fixed Face to It”
The actor pushed back against the idea that any single performer could match everyone’s image of Lord Ram. Different people, he said, have different pictures of the Lord in their minds, and no single person could fit everyone’s interpretation. “All the people who have watched Ramayan, they all have their own interpretation of Lord Ram. There is no fixed face to it,” he said.
“Many people will probably feel like I am the wrong casting. Some people will say I am the right casting. But the honest truth is that the right casting for Ram would be any actor who has the right intentions and who has belief and faith in the journey of Lord Ram.” It was a careful, thoughtful defence — one that framed the role as a matter of devotion rather than appearance.
A Four-Thousand-Year-Old Story
Ranbir said he soon understood the value, the responsibility and the noble intention of the filmmakers in presenting a story that has been relevant for 4,000 years and is deeply ingrained in the subconscious. That understanding, he suggested, is what ultimately matters.
The timing of the resurfaced comments is no accident. Ramayana: Part 1, subtitled Rise of a Legend, released worldwide on Thursday, 5 November 2026, and early reactions from audiences and fellow filmmakers have been warm. Whether the doubters have been won over will be judged at the box office — but Ranbir, at least, has made his case.
Sources: BollywoodShaadis (6 Nov 2026, quoting the San Diego Comic-Con interview with Newswire); Bollywood Hungama (6 Nov 2026, on the film’s release).
