Speaking during an interaction with Collider following the release of the film's trailer, Kapoor addressed what he called the rise of self-appointed "CG critics" on social media who mistake years of meticulous VFX craft for quick AI prompts.
Ranbir on the Influx of AI & Online "CG Critics"
Kapoor—who headlines the two-part mythological adaptation as Lord Rama—pointed out that while public awareness surrounding visual effects has increased with AI tools, it has also bred premature judgments:
"There has been a phenomenon right now... in the last few years, there are such a large number of people who have become these CG critics. They see the trailer, and they are always critiquing that it's not good enough or it's seemingly not done...
I think it's quite funny sometimes because people who don't know how CG is done think like someone's just used some AI and released something. You know, there are countless hours of work where artists are working for years. I have seen Nitesh sir and Namit sitting on VFX calls ever since this project started, trying to get even a certain colour of the sky right."
— Ranbir Kapoor, via Collider
Namit Malhotra & Nitesh Tiwari Urge IMAX Experience
Producer Namit Malhotra dismissed the online backlash as superficial "noise," arguing that evaluating a big-screen spectacle on smartphone screens with poor connectivity misses the entire point of cinematic engineering:
Phone Displays vs. IMAX 3D: Malhotra cited prior teaser screenings, noting that creators and influencers who initially criticized the footage on mobile devices completely changed their stance after viewing the same sequences projected on large-format IMAX 3D screens.
Work Still Underway: Director Nitesh Tiwari added that visual effects work remains ongoing, emphasizing that specific sequences have been under active development for nearly three years at DNEG.
Trade Verdict:
Mounted as a two-part epic starring Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi (Sita), Sunny Deol (Lord Hanuman), and Yash (Ravana), Ramayana remains one of Indian cinema's most expensive endeavors. With Part 1 slated for a Diwali 2026 theatrical launch, the makers are urging audiences to withhold final judgment until experiencing the visual effects inside IMAX auditoriums.
