Ever since the trailer of Nitesh Tiwari‘s ‘Ramayana: The Introduction’ has been released, audiences have been captivated by its breathtaking visuals, grand scale, and stellar ensemble cast. Ranbir Kapoor, along with the rest of the cast, has been praised for their portrayal. However, the actor had once opened up about an early career experience when he was shooed away while trying to meet his Hollywood idols, Natalie Portman and Quentin Tarantino. Today, years later, he is taking one of Indian cinema’s most ambitious projects to a global audience.The trailer has sparked immense excitement ahead of the film’s grand Diwali release, with fans eagerly awaiting the cinematic spectacle. Starring Yash, Sai Pallavi, Sunny Deol, Vivek Oberoi, and Lara Dutta alongside Ranbir Kapoor, ‘Ramayana’ has been making headlines ever since its trailer launch, with its scale, visual grandeur, and star-studded cast becoming major talking points.Ranbir Kapoor reveals he awaited for 3 hours to seeIn an old interview with Collider, Ranbir recalled, “I am a geek when it comes to films. I have been watching a film a day for the last 35 years. Apart from my local heroes where I grew up in India, whenever I have traveled, I have been shooed away by Natalie Portman. Quentin Tarantino has shown me the finger. I have met Bill Murray. Have stood outside when Al Pacino was doing a reading of Salome on Broadway. I was a student at that time and stood outside for 3 hours just to get a shout-out from him. I met Robert De Niro in India. These are my screen idols, and just to meet them has given me immense joy.”Before releasing the teaser of ‘Ramayana’ for the world, the makers screened it for a limited audience in Los Angeles. At the same screening, Ranbir spoke about how he once manifested taking a film rooted in Indian culture to a global audience, something that has now materialized with ‘Ramayana’.Speaking at the event, Ranbir further recalled a memorable incident from his school days. He said, “In 2000, I was in school of visual arts, and my Italian schoolmate asked me, ‘What are you going to do in the future?’ Are you going to work in America? Are you going to get an agent in the USA?”He responded to his friend and said, “I replied, ‘I’d rather come to America with a film that is from my culture, from my country,’ and today I’m sitting here and talking about Ramayana; it just feels so surreal.”Ranbir Kapoor has been working on Ramayana for several years, making it the most ambitious project of his career. Reportedly mounted on a staggering budget of Rs.4,000 crore, it is also the most expensive Indian film ever made. The epic magnum opus is slated to hit theatres during Diwali 2026.
