On October 18, Ranbir Kapoor arrived at the North Bombay Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal during Saptami, dressed in maroon traditional wear with golden embroidery. He stood before Maa Durga with folded hands. The prayers were quiet; the reaction to a later gesture was not.
After completing his prayers, Kapoor greeted photographers and shook hands with members of the paparazzi. Clips of that exchange spread quickly, turning a devotional visit into a widely shared pre-release moment for Ramayana: Part 1.
A festival stop with a release attached
The Nitesh Tiwari-directed film arrives in theatres on November 5, 2026. For a Ramayana adaptation, a public display of devotion is not simply a personal matter; it connects the star with the audience the film is speaking to. That makes the timing of a Saptami darshan meaningful. Kapoor did not issue a formal statement, and none was needed: the images, the folded hands and the handshake outside the pandal carried the message.
- Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama; Sai Pallavi plays Sita; Yash plays Ravana.
- The first part follows Rama’s marriage and the events leading to a 14-year exile.
- The instalment is expected to build toward Sita’s abduction, opening the central conflict for Part 2.
The first chapter, not the whole epic
Tiwari’s adaptation is structured as a two-part story. The first film traces the journey from marriage to exile and keeps Ravana as a gradually developing threat. The closing movement is expected to arrive at Sita’s abduction, which means the most familiar conflict is being saved for the next instalment.
“#Ramayana is a story every Indian storyteller grows up aspiring to tell.”
That assessment came from SS Rajamouli, who shared the trailer on X and praised Tiwari, producer Namit Malhotra and the cast. An endorsement from the director of Baahubali and RRR carries weight because it signals confidence in the scale of the production.
Why the pandal moment matters
The North Bombay Sarbojanin puja is one of Mumbai’s most visible community celebrations. The Mukerji family hosted devotees, with Kajol, Tanishaa Mukerji, Ayan Mukerji and Sharbani Mukerji in attendance; Jaya Bachchan and Shweta Bachchan also offered prayers. A Ramayana lead moving through that space joins a modern franchise event to a ritual calendar that much of the film’s audience observes.
The handshake with photographers completed the image: devotional in the pandal, accessible outside it. For a film built on faith, that combination may be the most useful message of the day. In the run-up to November 5, expect every public appearance to carry a little more weight.
Source: The Times of India
Comments