Ranbir Kapoor has apologised after a promotional appearance in Kolkata produced a moment he did not intend. At a Dussehra event on October 20 for Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, the actor reversed the festival’s central message: he said “goodness and honesty that perishes,” instead of saying they prevail. A clip of the moment quickly made its way across social media.
An on-stage correction in Chennai
On Wednesday, at a song launch in Chennai, Kapoor returned to the incident unprompted. “I would like to actually take this opportunity to apologize about an incident that happened yesterday,” he told the audience. “I was at the Dussehra event and I had a slip of tongue, like a slip of a tongue, they say.”
He then clarified the thought in Hindi: “No matter how powerful evil may be, in the end, goodness and truth will prevail.” To explain how a speaker can lose control of words, he reached for a lyric from his earlier film with A.R. Rahman, quoting Rockstar: “Jo bhi main kehna chahun, barbaad kare alfaaz mere.” He closed by saying he truly apologised for the slip.
The reference did two jobs at once. It owned the mistake lightly and reminded the room of one of his best-loved films, turning the stumble into a grace note rather than a standalone gaffe.
Why the moment travelled
Live promotional events leave almost no room for retakes, and a single swapped word can become the headline. For fans, the correction was a reminder of the film’s scale: a mega-budget, two-part live-action adaptation with promotional dates spanning cities and languages. It also showed a star choosing to address the slip directly rather than wait for it to fade.
What is now locked in for Ramayana
The focus now returns to the release schedule:
- Release: worldwide in cinemas on November 5, 2026, coinciding with Diwali, including IMAX 3D.
- Languages: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English.
- West Bengal: Suvendu Adhikari announced at the Kolkata event that the film has been made tax-free in the state.
- Streaming: JioHotstar will offer the film as pay-per-view after the theatrical run, through a partnership with Prime Focus Studios.
- Sequel: the second part is scheduled for 2027.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the adaptation stars Kapoor as Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. It is produced by Namit Malhotra, with Prime Focus Studios, DNEG and Monster Mind Creations among the producing partners, and features composers Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman.
A tax-free state announcement and back-to-back promotional dates show how the makers are treating the film as a major cultural release, not just another title.
Source: Hindustan Times