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‘Everyone wants their film to make money’: Anupam Kher says he predicted ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’ success before release

Anupam Kher was confident about the prospects of Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’ long before its theatrical release. The actor developed that belief after watching a 10-minute preview and getting a glimpse of the film’s promotional material. He even asked the director to express greater certainty about the project’s outcome. Anupam Kher, who voices Jatayu in the mythological epic, has now spoken about the film’s reception and the experience of bringing the character to life.As reported by Mid Day, recalling his conversation with Nitesh Tiwari, Anupam Kher said the director initially responded, “I hope it will,” when they discussed the film’s prospects. The actor encouraged him to replace that uncertainty with confidence. “I told him, ‘Change your reply to I am sure it will’,” Anupam Kher recalled. With the film collecting over Rs 1,000 cr worldwide within 10 days, the actor is pleased to see his prediction come true.Watch
‘Ramayana’ targets ₹1,000 crore worldwide as Oscars submission coincides with ‘Pyre’ screen row
Anupam Kher praises the team’s commitment
Anupam Kher attended the Swedish premiere of ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’ and recalled an emotional conversation with Nitesh Tiwari after watching the film. He said the team’s dedication went beyond the expectation of delivering a commercially successful project. According to the actor, the people involved had invested themselves deeply in the story.“Obviously, everyone wants their film to make money, but what this team has done is beyond that. They have put their soul into it,” Anupam Kher said. He also acknowledged the contributions of Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra, whose efforts helped bring the ambitious production to the screen.
Jatayu’s confrontation with Ravana demands emotional depth
Anupam Kher voices Jatayu, whose confrontation with Ravana, played by Yash, is among the film’s significant sequences. The character’s battle and eventual death required an emotionally convincing performance, something Nitesh Tiwari specifically wanted from the actor.Anupam Kher said the director trusted him to deliver the performance instead of choosing someone solely for a commanding voice. “Nitesh could have taken a radio announcer for the voice acting because they have such a strong, commanding voice. But he trusted me,” he said.
Anupam Kher spends hours recording Jatayu’s scene
Although the director had confidence in his interpretation, Anupam Kher found the emotional sequence difficult to record. He revealed that getting the performance right took several hours because he wanted to understand the character’s pain and regret.“I took four to five hours to get this scene right. You had to feel it inside your bones, heart, and soul what it means to go through the struggle that Jatayu did or the regret that you have of not saving everybody. I had to put my soul into it,” he said.
Mahesh Bhatt
‘s letter celebrates his journey
Meanwhile, Anupam Kher recently received a personal letter from filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, reflecting on his career spanning 42 years. The message traced his journey from playing B. V. Pradhan in ‘Saaransh’ to voicing Jatayu in ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’. Kher shared the letter on Instagram and described it as one of the most meaningful acknowledgements of his work.Actor expresses gratitude for Mahesh Bhatt’s supportIn his response, Anupam Kher thanked Mahesh Bhatt for giving him his early opportunity in cinema and continuing to recognise his growth. He expressed how deeply the filmmaker’s words had affected him, describing the message as a special recognition of his professional journey.He wrote, “FROM SAARANSH TO JATAYU!’ A LETTER FROM MAHESH BHATT SAAB! ❤️🥹 Dear Bhatt Sahab, I am the happiest man on earth today. Your message came out of the blue yesterday, and I was completely unprepared for it. I read it with a heart full of gratitude and felt deeply humbled.It was like receiving the most beautiful certificate for 42 years of work—and the warmest acknowledgement from the person who first opened the doors of cinema for me.
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“Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi in the lead, ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’ is running in housefull shows.The film continues its impressive theatrical run, recording a major jump in collections on its second Saturday and collected Rs 72.90 cr net in India on Day 10, registering a 51.6% rise over the previous day’s earnings. With this, the film’s domestic net collection has reached Rs 685.60 cr, while its India gross stands at Rs 819.50 cr. The film has also crossed the Rs 1,200 cr milestone worldwide, with its cumulative gross collection reaching Rs 1,228 cr.Poll
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