Highlights
- Ranbir Kapoor compared the mythical Pushpak Viman from the Ramayana to Elon Musk's flying car.
- The actor joked that India had imagined the technology 5,000 years ago.
- Director Nitesh Tiwari revealed that the film's Pushpak Viman took nearly two years to design.
- Ramayana is scheduled to release in theaters worldwide on November 5.
Ranbir Kapoor has brought Elon Musk into a conversation about Ramayana, making a bold claim about the mythical Pushpak Viman while discussing the film's fantastical elements.
During a special interview with television presenter Suma on her show Chat Show, Ranbir was joined by co-stars Yash, Ravi Dubey and Rakul Preet Singh, along with director Nitesh Tiwari. The discussion covered the film's weapons, mythical elements and how the team reimagined them for the big screen.
Ranbir, who plays Lord Rama, drew a comparison between the Pushpak Viman, the flying chariot described in the epic, and Musk's flying car.
“Elon Musk recently invented a flying car. I think India did it 5,000 years ago!” the actor said.
Nitesh Tiwari reveals two-year design process
During the same conversation, Tiwari explained how much work went into creating the Pushpak Viman for the film. The director revealed that the team spent nearly two years finalizing its design, with several changes along the way.
“It took us close to two years to arrive at the final design, and a lot changed along the way. That's why we took so much time to create the Ravana and Jatayu fight,” he said.
Tiwari explained that the fight sequence was initially choreographed around an earlier design of the Viman. When the team settled on a different look, they had to make several adjustments to ensure the flying structure worked with the existing choreography.
The Pushpak Viman also appears in the film's trailer, giving audiences a glimpse of the makers' visual interpretation of the mythical aircraft.
The mythology behind the Pushpak Viman
In Hindu mythology, the Pushpak Viman is described as an airborne palace that could travel at the speed of thought and expand to accommodate as many passengers as needed.
According to the Ramayana, the celestial architect Vishwakarma created it for Lord Brahma, who later gifted it to Kubera, the god of wealth. Ravana eventually took possession of the Viman after defeating Kubera, his half-brother.
Elon Musk's flying car demonstration
Ranbir's remark comes as Musk's next-generation Tesla Roadster has returned to the spotlight. Musk presented the long-delayed electric sports car at an event in Waco, Texas, on October 15, nearly a decade after first revealing the new version.
During a demonstration at SpaceX's rocket development and testing facility, the car drove upside down along a large curved ramp, flipped in the air and landed safely. Musk's reaction afterward was brief: “Well, it worked.”
Ramayana is scheduled to release in theaters worldwide on November 5.
