Mahesh Bhatt Watches Ramayana with Strangers, Leaves in Tears

Mahesh Bhatt skipped the star-studded Ramayana premiere and chose a regular cinema hall instead. The filmmaker, whose son-in-law Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part adaptation, told Variety India the decision was deliberate: he wanted what he called a “private, shared experience” rather than an industry event.

Ramayana is directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra and Yash. It stars Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, with music by Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman.

A childhood story, heard before it was seen

Bhatt’s relationship with the Ramayan began long before the new film. His first introduction came through his mother, who narrated the story to him and his siblings. He said he was too young to understand every layer of the epic, but the characters and emotions never left him.

At 12, he watched Babubhai Mistry’s Sampoorna Ramayana, and one image stayed with him: Sita asking Mother Earth to take her back after being banished from Ayodhya. He recalled crying at the scene as a boy and still feeling the injustice of Sita’s ordeal.

What he made of the performances

Bhatt had specific praise for the leading cast, shaped by his own memory of the epic:

• Yash as Ravana: Bhatt said the actor left him “mesmerised,” and credited Tiwari with keeping Ravana’s power in check.
• Ranbir Kapoor as Rama: The film shifted for him when Ranbir walked toward the camera and folded his hands; Bhatt felt the actor had touched something his earlier performances never demanded.
• Sai Pallavi as Sita: He welcomed her simplicity, saying her performance brought him “such relief” instead of relying on a glamorous presentation.
• Arun Govil and Anupam Kher: He also praised Govil’s performance and Kher’s Jatayu.

The appreciation went beyond the leads. Bhatt also saluted Tiwari, producer Namit Malhotra and the wider team for bringing the epic to the screen, saying the experience made him proud of Indian cinema.

Tears by the end credits

The film’s treatment of Rama’s 14-year exile hit Bhatt hard. He tried to hold back tears, especially because he was sitting with young filmmakers and writers who know him as Ranbir Kapoor’s father-in-law. When the credits rolled and the lights came up, he could not hide his emotions.

He was equally moved by the sequence where Bharat visits Rama and leaves carrying Rama’s khadaun, promising to rule in his brother’s name. For Bhatt, that moment recalled values he feels society has grown distant from. The audience’s applause when Hanuman’s arrival was hinted at added to the collective charge.

His closing thought was personal: the story he first heard in his mother’s voice had come back to him through Tiwari’s film. “I walked into that theatre carrying the boy who had wept for Sita. I came out with tears in my eyes again,” he said.

Source: India Today