EXCLUSIVE: Ramayana star Ranbir Kapoor and director Nitesh Tiwari have addressed the epic's similarities to Christopher Nolan's adaptation of The Odyssey.
Directed by Tiwari, Ramayana is a two-part adaptation of the ancient Indian epic, starring Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana. The story follows Rama, a prince whose journey involves love, exile, and a battle against powerful forces. Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, adapts Homer's Greek epic about a warrior's journey home following the Trojan War. Despite their different origins, both epics feature a significant scene involving a bow.
In an interview with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley, Kapoor and Tiwari discussed the parallels between Ramayana and The Odyssey, particularly their respective bow scenes. When asked whether he noticed the similarities or intentionally leaned into them, the director explained that he believes Homer's story may have drawn inspiration from the Indian epic.
"Ramayana is the oldest epic, and I believe Homer was inspired by Ramayana in some way; having written those bits in Odyssey. And yes, I did notice those equivalents and I felt very happy that our greatest epic has got a tribute in another epic which belongs to the West side, and it's going to make it very easier for the people to also connect with what we were trying to bring to the West also."
Kapoor also recognized the similarities between the two stories, but emphasized that filming Rama's bow scene was particularly meaningful.
"To be honest, it's written in our text 4,000 years ago. So actually, when I saw Odyssey, I thought, 'That's from Ramayana.' Exactly. But yeah, sweet coincidence. I love The Odyssey. I love Christopher Nolan. But yeah, doing Ramayana had a very different feeling."
The veteran Bollywood actor described the significance of the scene, in which Sita's father holds a ceremony to determine who is worthy of marrying his daughter. The challenge involves lifting a powerful bow, with Rama ultimately taking part in the moment.
"So it was just goosebumps when we were performing that scene, when we were doing the whole lifting of the bow, even though it was not that heavy and I was acting like it was, but I could feel it when I was lifting it above my head. I just had some weird current going up and down just to be part of such an iconic moment."
The comparison is especially interesting given that both epics use a bow to highlight their central heroes. In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus strings his bow and shoots an arrow through twelve axe heads, helping him reclaim his home from Penelope's suitors. Meanwhile, in Ramayana, Rama lifts and breaks Shiva's bow to win Sita's hand in marriage, marking an important moment in Rama's larger journey.
Although Tiwari believes the similarities could suggest a connection between the ancient texts, there is no established historical consensus that Homer directly drew inspiration from Ramayana. Nevertheless, the filmmakers believe the parallels could help Western audiences connect with the Indian story. While Christopher Nolan's adaptation makes several changes to Homer's original epic, the bow scene remains a notable connection between the two stories.
Ramayana: Part One is currently playing in theaters, with a second installment set to continue the epic story.
