Sanjay Gupta
On the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti on April 2, director Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra unveiled the first look of actor Ranbir Kapoor as Rama from their upcoming film Ramayana. The teaser clip introducing the character took the internet by storm for the VFX and the look. Amid this, filmmaker Sanjay Gupta made a cryptic tweet on X, which many speculated was a dig at the teaser.
The Kaabil director wrote: "KHODA PAHAAD... NIKLA CHUHA." In the comment section of the tweet, many scratched their heads if this tweet was for Ramayana, considering the timing. However, Sanjay has now denied the rumours. The filmmaker responded to Hindustan Times, saying, "No, not at all. I don't want to comment on it and it's not regarding Ramayana."
Many speculated that Sanjay's post was for Ramayana, with one of the users commenting, "Ramayana ke teaser ke liye bol rahe hai." Another comment read, "Kuch bhi! Ramayana looks absolutely beautiful."
Meanwhile, another social media post by Sanjay, which has now been deleted, read, "Obvious observation. VfX companies don't win Oscars. The technicians do" further sparked buzz. Many interpreted it as an indirect dig at VFX giant DNEG, which is handling the VFX of Ramayana and boasts of an Oscar for Best Visual Effects for Dune: Part Two at the 97th Academy Awards.
Before launching the teaser in India, Ranbir with Namit and Nitesh, launched the first look of Rama from Ramayana at a special screening in Los Angeles . At the event, Ranbir opened up about playing Rama in the upcoming film, saying , "Lord Rama has been the conscience keeper of billions of people around the globe for centuries. He enlightens us about the triumph of the human spirit. He stands for compassion, for courage, for righteousness and forgiveness, and is called Maryada Purushottam, which stands for an ideal man."
Ramayana also stars Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. Ramayana: Part 1 will hit the theatres on Diwali 2026, followed by Ramayana: Part 2, which will release on Diwali 2027.
