Ranbir Kapoor Walks Into the Biggest Week of His Career

There is no comparable moment in a Hindi film actor's career. On 23 July, Ranbir Kapoor walks into Ballroom 20 at San Diego Comic-Con alongside Yash, Nitesh Tiwari and Namit Malhotra to unveil the first trailer of Ramayana, in a hall that seats 4,800 people and has previously hosted the launches of Marvel and DC properties.

The role itself is the heaviest of his career. Tiwari has spoken about why he cast him: the part had to carry duty, restraint and the expectations of a billion people at once, and few actors of his generation could hold all three.

For an actor whose last decade has swung between Sanju, Brahmastra and Animal, Rama is a deliberate turn towards stillness. The trailer on Friday morning will be the first public read of whether that turn has worked.