Tarun Khanna, who has played Lord Shiva in several TV shows like Karmaphal Daata Shani, RadhaKrishn, Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki, Devi Adi Parashakti, Paramavatar Shri Krishna, and Santoshi Maa, has weighed in on the ongoing conversation around Ranbir Kapoor’s casting in Nitesh Tiwari‘s Ramayana, backing the actor and his approach to the role.Calling Ranbir one of his favourites, Tarun revealed that the actor had attended his stage show as part of his preparation.“Ranbir Kapoor is my favourite, and my wife’s favourite too. He came to watch our show at NCPA with his wife Alia Bhatt, his mother Neetu Kapoor, and his friend Ayan Mukerji—just for his prep. Imagine how seriously he takes his craft,” he told Galatta India.
‘Looks don’t matter, emotion does’
Reacting to debates around Ranbir’s look as Lord Ram, Khanna dismissed such discussions.“These things are exaggerated—how he looks and all that—it’s meaningless. Ultimately, only one thing connects with people: real, raw emotion,” he said.He added, “A film works when there’s an emotional connection. If that doesn’t happen, you can spend crores, but the film won’t work.”
Calls out early negativity
Tarun also addressed the negative commentary surrounding Ramayana, especially comparisons with Adipurush.“People are already saying so much money has been spent and the film won’t work. Why spread negativity? Why say it’s going to be another Adipurush?” he said.He pointed out that such narratives impact not just stars but the larger crew. “It’s not just Ranbir Kapoor—there are so many people whose livelihoods are attached to a film.”
‘Ranbir is among the best of this generation’
Praising the actor further, Tarun said, “He is one of the best actors of our generation in the last 20 years. Such a big superstar, such a fine actor—I’ve never heard any controversy about him.”He criticised attempts to pull the actor down even before the film’s release. “The film hasn’t even released yet, and people are trying to pull it down.”
‘VFX doesn’t make a film work’
On discussions around the film’s scale and VFX, Tarun maintained that technology alone cannot guarantee success.“No film works because of VFX. It works because of emotion. If the emotion is right, the film will work. If not, even if you shoot on the moon, it won’t work,” he said.
Ranbir, Alia attended his show
Tarun also recalled that Ranbir, along with Alia Bhatt and Neetu Kapoor, attended his stage performance at Mumbai’s NCPA.“We spoke before the show. But they left about five minutes before the last scene because otherwise the audience would have surrounded them. Their team took them out quickly,” he shared.