Ranbir Kapoor trained with Indian Olympian to play Lord Rama in Ramayana

With just a day to go before Ramayana: Part 1 arrives in cinemas, Ranbir Kapoor has spoken about the extensive preparation that went into portraying Lord Rama, including training in archery under an Indian Olympian and attending specialised workshops to develop the character’s physicality.

In an interview with Review Nation following the film’s Los Angeles premiere, the actor revealed that he began preparing for the role around 18 months before filming started. While learning archery was an important part of the process, he said understanding Lord Rama’s personality and the essence of the character was a more challenging aspect.

Ranbir Kapoor began archery training 18 months before filming

Explaining how he prepared to portray the legendary archer, Ranbir said he worked with an Indian Olympian to learn the correct techniques. He also spent some time in New York, where he attended classes as part of his preparation.

“Lord Rama was a great archer. So, about a year and a half before we started filming, I worked with an Indian Olympian on the right technique. I was in New York for some time, and I also took some classes,” he said.

However, the actor stressed that mastering the physical skills was only one part of his preparation. He said his deeper challenge was to understand who Lord Rama was and bring his own interpretation to a character that has been portrayed in several ways.

“The deeper part, however, was to understand the essence of who Lord Rama is. You can read as much as you want and see different interpretations, but eventually, what soul are you putting into the character? I could be playing Lord Rama, but the soul is mine. How do I change that? How do I bring a new soul?” Ranbir said.

Terry Notary's workshops focused on movement and breathing

Ranbir also spoke about his experience working with action director Terry Notary, who is known for his work on films including the Planet of the Apes franchise, X2 (2003) and Superman Returns (2006).

The actor revealed that Notary's workshops went beyond conventional combat training. They focused on movement, body language and everyday physical actions to help the actors understand how their characters would move.

“Terry Notary had workshops where he taught us breathing techniques, how to walk, how to climb a tree and things like that,” Ranbir said.

He added that learning new skills for different films was one of the rewarding aspects of being an actor. However, he described Ramayana as particularly special because of the affection audiences have for the epic and its characters.

“As actors, we are so lucky and grateful that we get to learn new skills with new movies. But Ramayana will always be special because it is the most beloved story with beloved characters. So doing all of this was awesome,” he said.

Ramayana: Part 1 cast, premiere and release date

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra, Ramayana: Part 1 is the first instalment of a planned two-part cinematic adaptation of the Indian epic. The film had its premiere on October 27 at the David Geffen Theatre inside the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Ranbir, Sai Pallavi and Yash attended the event alongside the director, producer and members of the filmmaking team.

Ranbir plays Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi portrays Sita and Yash takes on the role of Ravana. The cast also includes Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman.

The film is produced by Prime Focus Studios in association with DNEG and Monster Mind Creations. Its music is composed by Hans Zimmer and A R Rahman, while the screenplay is credited to Shridhar Raghavan and Nitesh Tiwari.

Ramayana: Part 1 is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on Thursday, November 5, 2026. It will release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English.