From Animal To Ramayana, Indira Krishnan Says Playing Ranbir Kapoor's Mom Is "Like A Con By The Universe"

Actor Indira Krishnan says her role in Ramayana as Kaushalya, Lord Ram's mother, was nothing short of a divine intervention. "It was like a con by the universe," she says with a laugh. "I had to claim (the role of) Ranbir's mom somehow and I did."

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, the actor opened up on being cast alongside her onscreen son Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, her experience with cutting-edge VFX technology used in the film, and director Nitesh Tiwari's unique style of storytelling.

Indira Krishnan recalls how it all started during the last day of shooting for the 2023 film Animal, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna. In the Sandeep Reddy Vanga movie, Indira Krishnan had a brief but memorable appearance as Geetanjali (Rashmika Mandanna)'s mother.

[embedded content]

Indira Krishnan says, "Ranbir and I were sitting and chatting, and Rashmika said to me, 'Ma'am, it was so lovely shooting with you, I wish you would play my mother again'. I told her, 'Now I want to play Ranbir's mom someday'. Two years later, that's exactly what happened. I was called in for Ramayana."

She adds, "When I reached the office, Ranbir came and said, 'You remember what you told me two years ago?' I said, 'You remember that?' And he said, 'Yeah, you wanted to play my mother. See, you became my mother'. It felt surreal."

Indira Krishnan also had a front-row seat to the massive technological scale of the film. On set, she came face to face with a special machine that is used for VFX measurements

"I remember when I went in for my body measurements, they told me the machine was used for (Christopher Nolan's) Interstellar. It was an 86 camera setup. All 86 cameras flashed on me at once - I was zonked. They told me it's for the VFX, not just costume fittings. I had no idea how younger versions of the characters would be created. The process was meticulous. Even how Kaushalya walks or sits everything was planned. There were no dramatic dialogues, only poise and control."

She praised production banner Prime Focus and the VFX team, led by Jaykar, for precision and scale. "It is not easy to gather such a huge cast in one frame and seamlessly execute such heavy VFX," she said.

Indira Krishnan, whose credits include TV shows such as Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Afsar Bitiya, and Durga - Atoot Prem Kahani as well as films such as Tere Naam and Holiday, also praised director Nitesh Tiwari, calling him "a man of visuals".

"When he narrates a scene, you live the moment right there. What I love most is the freedom he gives his actors. He told me, 'Ma'am, this is my take, now if you want to add something, feel free to do it within the range of your character'. That kind of trust is rare."

Ramayana also stars Sai Pallavi (Sita), Yash (Ravan), Sunny Deol (Hanuman), and Ravi Dubey (Lakshman).

On seeing the star-studded cast for the first time, she thought she was dreaming. "When I reached the office, I saw Ranbir, Sai Pallavi, Ravi Dubey. My nameplate was on the table. I didn't know if I was daydreaming or if this was really happening."

Also Read | Ramayana: Part I First Look Reactions: Internet Praises VFX Of Ranbir Kapoor's Film, Says It Looks "Thousand Times Better" Than Adipurush