Bollywood Hungama

Ranbir Kapoor reveals he trained with an Indian Olympian for Ramayana, says understanding Lord Rama was the tough part

Ranbir Kapoor has revealed that he began training for the physical aspects of his role as Lord Rama in Ramayana nearly a year and a half before filming began. The actor worked with an Indian Olympian to learn archery techniques and also underwent workshops focused on movement, breathing and physicality for the highly anticipated epic. Speaking to Review Nation after the Los Angeles premiere of Ramayana Part 1, Ranbir explained that getting the action right was important to make his portrayal believable on screen. Ranbir Kapoor trained with an Indian Olympian for archery Ranbir said he started working on his archery skills well before the cameras began rolling. Lord Rama was a great archer. So, about a year and a half before we started filming, I worked with an Indian Olympian on the right technique. I was in New York for some time, and I also took some classes here, he said. However, the actor pointed out that mastering the physical skills was only one part of preparing for the role. The deeper part was to understand the essence of who Lord Rama is. You can read as much as you want and see different interpretations, but eventually, what soul are you putting into the character? I could be playing Lord Rama, but the soul is mine. How do I change that? How do I bring a new soul? Ranbir said. Terry Notary conducted workshops for the actors Ranbir also spoke about the physical training the films action team, including Guy Norris and Terry Notary, conducted. He revealed that Notary's workshops went beyond combat training. Terry Notary had workshops where he taught us breathing techniques, how to walk, how to climb a tree and things like that, Ranbir said. The actor added that learning new skills has been one of the rewarding aspects of working on films. As actors, we are so lucky and grateful that we get to learn new skills with new movies. But Ramayana will always be special because it is the most beloved story with beloved characters. So doing all of this was awesome. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana Part 1 stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. The film is produced by Namit Malhotras Prime Focus and Monster Mind Creations and is scheduled to release on November 5. Also Read:BREAKING: Ramayana BREAKS pre-Diwali jinx! Rs. 25 cr+ in advance ticket sales; Kamal Gianchandani predicts HISTORIC record in PVR INOXs 30+ year history