New Delhi:
When Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey released back in July, many similarities were drawn between the film and the mythological epic Ramayana.
The stringing of the bow serves as a competition in both tales. In The Odyssey, Penelope conducts a stringing-of-the-bow competition for her suitors, but none of them manages to achieve the feat. It is only the returning Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, who succeeds. Similarly, in Ramayana, the competition is held at Sita’s swayamvar, where a host of men are unable even to move Lord Shiva’s celestial bow. It is only Rama who not only manages to lift the bow but also breaks it into two halves while trying to string it, securing Sita’s hand in marriage.
Recently, Ramayana director Nitesh Tiwari discussed the similarities.
Nitesh Tiwari told ScreenRant, “Ramayana is the oldest epic, and I believe Homer was inspired by Ramayana in some way, having written those bits in Odyssey. And yes, I did notice those equivalents, and I felt very happy that our greatest epic has got a tribute in another epic that belongs to the Western world, and it’s going to make it much easier for people to connect with what we were trying to bring to the West as well.”
Ranbir Kapoor particularly spoke about the bow-and-arrow scene and called it a sweet coincidence.
The actor stated, “To be honest, it’s written in our text 4,000 years ago. So actually, when I saw Odyssey, I thought, ‘That’s from Ramayana.’ Exactly. But yeah, sweet coincidence. I love *The Odyssey*. I love Christopher Nolan. But yeah, doing Ramayana had a very different feeling.”
About Ramayana
Produced by Namit Malhotra, Ramayana: Part 1 was released in theatres on November 5, 2026. The film features a cast that also includes Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Anupam Kher lending his voice to Jatayu.
Conceived as a two-part cinematic adaptation of the Indian epic, Ramayana is among the major theatrical releases of the year. Its Rs 221.05 crore worldwide opening-weekend milestone marks a significant start, with the Hindi version emerging as its biggest domestic contributor.
ALSO READ | When Christopher Nolan Met Ramayana: The Odyssey’s Uncanny Parallels To India’s Epic
