Chennai: Ranbir Kapoor walked onto the stage in Chennai on October 21 for the grand musical event and full-album launch of Ramayana — and walked straight into one of the most delicate moments of his promotional campaign so far. The actor, who plays Lord Ram in Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part epic, used the occasion to publicly apologise for a verbal slip during a Dussehra celebration in Kolkata the previous day that had gone viral and drawn sharp trolling online.
The controversy began on October 20 at a Dussehra event in Kolkata organised by the Salt Lake Sanskritik Sansad, where Kapoor mistakenly said “aakhir mein ant sacchai aur achhai ki hi hogi” — using “ant”, meaning end, where he had meant “jeet”, meaning victory. A clip of the moment spread rapidly across social media, and the irony was not lost on anyone: the actor set to portray Lord Ram — the very embodiment of the triumph of good over evil that Dussehra celebrates — had fumbled the festival’s central message.
Kapoor did not duck the issue in Chennai. In a disarming, self-deprecating address, he owned the mistake outright, calling it a “slip of tongue” and clarifying his intended message: “burai chahe kitni bhi takatwar kyun na ho, aakhir mei jeet achai aur sachai ki hoti hai” — no matter how powerful evil may be, victory belongs to goodness and truth.
Then came the moment that won over even the sceptics. Reaching for a line from his own filmography, Kapoor quoted Rockstar: “Jo bhi main kehna chahoon, barbaad karein alfaaz mere” — whatever I wish to say, my words end up ruining. The hall erupted. It was classic Ranbir: defusing a controversy not with defensiveness but with charm, turning a gaffe into a shared laugh.
The timing of the episode could hardly be more sensitive. Ramayana: Part 1 releases on November 5, just two weeks away, and the film is arguably the most scrutinised Indian release of the year — a mythological epic of unprecedented scale, with Kapoor’s casting as Ram carrying enormous cultural weight. Every public appearance is being watched, and a viral clip questioning his command over the story’s core philosophy was the last thing the campaign needed days before release.
The Chennai event itself was a show of strength for the production. Producer Namit Malhotra and director Nitesh Tiwari were present alongside co-stars Sai Pallavi, who plays Sita, and Ravie Dubey, as the team unveiled the film’s full musical album to a packed venue. The music of Ramayana has been positioned as one of its biggest draws, and the launch was designed as a statement of intent — a reminder that the film’s ambition extends far beyond its visual effects.
Industry watchers noted how deftly Kapoor handled the apology. In an era when celebrity missteps tend to spiral into multi-day news cycles, a prompt, good-humoured acknowledgment is often the fastest route to closure. By naming the slip himself and laughing at himself in the same breath, he gave the story nowhere left to go.
Whether the trolling dies down as quickly as he hopes remains to be seen — social media rarely lets go of a viral moment this easily. But with the film’s release now a fortnight away, the Ramayana team will be hoping the conversation returns to the music, the scale, and the spectacle. Kapoor’s message, at least, is now on record: in the end, it is the victory — not the end — of goodness and truth that matters.
