Producer Bhushan Kumar and director Om Raut are not nervous about how Adipurush will perform, as they’re proud to have done the best they could while making the film. With the hype surrounding the Prabhas and Kriti Sanon-starrer, coupled with a monumental budget that they “overshot”, the ticket prices have spiked, with some theatres in Delhi selling them for Rs. 2,200.

“There are three price brackets — regular, popular and blockbuster. Big films like Brahmāstra Part One: Shiva, RRR, K.G.F: Chapter 2 (all 2022) opted for blockbuster rates. But, we opted for the popular rates. The tickets are expensive, as Adipurush is also available in 3D and theatres have added their cost,” explains Kumar.

Raut says that he asked for the ticket price to be capped: “We would’ve sold the tickets for Rs. 100 so that masses could afford it. Aage ke decisions hamare haath mein nahin hain.”

While deciding the film’s cast, both Raut and Kumar “only had Prabhas in mind to play Lord Ram”. Kumar shares, “Because of the image he had in Baahubali, we didn’t consider anyone else. For Janaki’s role, we discussed many names, but zeroed in on Kriti. She’s done a great job.”

Making a film based on an epic like the Ramayana would have been a tricky task. Ask how they managed to go about it, and Kumar shares, “Om had a checklist of things we should not do. He had everything documented from the experts. Even when we went to the Censor Board for certification, we were prepared for the questions that might come up. I’m glad we got a U certificate.”

By the grace of God, Bhushan ji and I will work together in the future as well. He has been a blind supporter in whatever I intended to do. Adipurush was a tough film for everybody else other than me.

We are blessed to have finished such a huge film. With my father (late) Gulshan Kumar ji’s blessings, we have been able to deliver our movie on the revised release date. Making it was like a roller-coaster ride since the beginning.