Director Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra unveiled the first look of Ranbir Kapoor as Rama from Ramayana on April 2, with the teaser and VFX-heavy visuals generating strong buzz online.

Amid the chatter, filmmaker Sanjay Gupta’s cryptic tweet “Khoda pahaad… nikla chuha” posted soon after the launch, sparked speculation about whether it was aimed at the film. Several users linked the timing of the post to Ramayana, fuelling online debate.

However, Gupta dismissed the speculation. “No, not at all. I don’t want to comment on it and it’s not regarding Ramayana,” he says.

Adding to the chatter, another post by Gupta, now deleted, read: “VFX companies don’t win Oscars. The technicians do.” This too was interpreted by some as an indirect remark on DNEG, the VFX studio behind Ramayana, which recently won an Oscar for Dune: Part Two.

Also starring Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. Ramayana: Part 1 is set to release on Diwali 2026, with the second part slated for Diwali 2027.