'Ramayana': Ranbir Kapoor on role as Lord Rama: 'My Dharma is to do my job with honesty and truthfulness'

Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor has officially kicked off his promotion spree for director Nitesh Tiwari's epic 'Ramayana'. After debuting the first glimpse footage titled 'Rama' at a special screening in Los Angeles, the actor and his director, along with producer Namit Malhotra, headed over to New York on Tuesday, where they screened the film for a select audience. Speaking at the event, the actor opened up about the responsibility of portraying Lord Rama in 'Ramayana'. He revealed that he had first rejected the role, saying, "I remember when Namit offered me this part around 4 years ago, my instant reaction was 'No', I'm not fit enough, not good enough and I won't be able to do full justice." During the chat, he reflected on the challenges on taking up the role. Kapoor shared, "As an actor, my Dharma is to do my job in the best way possible with honesty and truthfulness. There's a beautiful saying in our scriptures which translates to Dharma protects those who uphold it. As an artist, it is my job to honestly approach my work with the responsibility of hundreds and billions of Indians and other cultures who are going to see this film."The actor was also spoke about the deep meaning and message behind the film. He said, "Ramayana gives you so much to learn. Nitesh sir had mentioned earlier that the times we are in the world right now, it won't hurt us to understand empathy, love and equality. It's very important in the world right now."'Ramayana', also starring Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana and Sunny Deol as Hanuman, will debut its first glimpse 'Rama' in India on April 2. The clip has already won rave reviews online with audiences praising Ranbir's performance. The film is slated to release on the festival of Diwali 2026.