Often seen as the quintessential good guy after Rang De Basanti (2006), Kunal Kapoor is keen to explore edgier roles, especially after playing Babur in The Empire (2021). So, when the opportunity to play Indradev in filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari’s magnum opus Ramayana: Rise of a Legend came his way, the actor didn’t have to think twice.

Kapoor says the opportunity to tell a story that generations of Indians have grown up with, using resources and filmmaking technology associated with Hollywood spectacles, drew him to the role. “We always applaud when Hollywood [pours in] time and resources to bring a mythology onscreen. We all have thought [at least once] why don’t we do it at that scale? So it’s great when you have somebody like Namit [Malhotra, producer] and Nitesh stepping up and taking that responsibility. There’s absolutely no question of not wanting to be part of something like that,” he says.