'Ramayana': Ranbir Kapoor was 'keen to perform' his own stunts
What's the story
Ranbir Kapoor, who plays Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, performed a considerable amount of his own stunts in the film, according to his stunt double Luke Ioannou. In an interview with Variety India, Ioannou praised Kapoor's physical ability and commitment to the role. He said that Kapoor was "very keen to perform as much of his own action as possible."
Actor's dedication
'I was really impressed by his physical ability'
Ioannou revealed that Kapoor was always willing to get involved in the action sequences, irrespective of their complexity.
He said, "We had a variety of setups to work through, all with different levels of complexity, and he was always willing to get involved wherever it was safe and practical."
"I was really impressed by his physical ability and his commitment to work."
Stunt double's perspective
'Goal was never to take the action away from Ranbir'
Ioannou explained his role in the action sequences, saying, "There are certain stunts where the technical demands or risks make it more sensible for a specialist performer to step in, particularly when you're working within a demanding filming schedule."
"The goal was never to take the action away from Ranbir."
"It was to help him do as much as possible himself and then use the expertise of the wider team to achieve everything else."
Production hurdles
'The production team did an incredible job creating...'
Ioannou spoke about the unique challenges posed by Ramayana's scale and variety of action sequences.
He said, "We were working with numerous set pieces within the forest environment; each had its physical and technical demands."
"The production team did an incredible job creating these environments, and every new setup brought something different for us to work with."
"It often felt like solving a puzzle."
Filming pressure
'Ramayana's demanding filming schedule and its challenges
Ioannou revealed, "The schedule was demanding, so we didn't always have the luxury of extensive rehearsal time."
"That meant everyone had to be adaptable, creative and efficient."
"For me, the challenge wasn't necessarily one individual stunt, but the sheer variety of different setups and the need to consistently find solutions under time pressure."
He added, "It was demanding work, but incredibly rewarding."
Meanwhile, the film also stars Sai Pallavi and Yash.