Actor Ranbir Kapoor's transformation as Rama in Ramayana: Part 1 has struck a personal chord with director Mahesh Bhatt. Offering a peek into the family's Diwali celebrations, actor Soni Razdan revealed her filmmaker husband's reaction to the much discussed film.

Soni shared a photograph on social media featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Mahesh Bhatt, accompanied by a remark that captured the filmmaker's pride. Taking to Instagram, Soni captioned the story, "Mere paas Ram hai - he proudly said 'Jai Shri Ram'," indicating the sentiment that offered a glimpse into how deeply Rabir's portrayal of the mythological character has captivated the director.

Mahesh Bhatt recalled being overwhelmed by the scene depicting Rama's 14 year exile in an earlier conversation with Variety India. He admitted that experiencing the cinematic spectacle in a standard cinema hall, along with strangers, brought him to tears. About his son-in-law, Ranbir, he said, "I saw him touch something in himself that his other films had never asked him to. I felt he had touched the God in him."

Talking about the interval scene, Mahesh said, "I felt my throat close. I tried hard not to cry. I had gone [to watch the film] with young filmmakers and writers and people in the hall knew they were sitting with Ranbir Kapoor’s father-in-law. When the lights came on, I tried to hide my tears. I couldn’t."

Mahesh Bhatt also acknowledged the principal cast, lauding Yash and Sai Pallavi for their performances. He shared that Yash playing Ravana "mesmerised" him and Sai Pallavi’s "courage to remain unvarnished" as Sita brought him “relief”.

Actor Alia Bhatt, Rabir's wife and Mahesh's daughter, has also praised Ranbir in a social media post featuring him and their daughter Raha. The picture taken on sets of Ramayana was captioned, "You poured everything into this one and yet you had all of it left for her. So proud of you, Ranbir...Some stories are bigger than all of us & Ramayana is one of them."

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana: Part 1 has amassed approximately Rs 663.9 crore worldwide in its first five days in theatres. The first instalment of the ambitious adaptation brings the timeless tale of the Indian epic to the big screen. The second chapter of the mythological film is officially scheduled to release in theatres during Diwali 2028.