Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Ramayana’ Working Title Revealed; Actor to Begin ‘Love And War’ Prep in Aug | Exclusive

The shoot of Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana is going on in full swing. Currently, the actors are filming in Mumbai’s Film City with sets constructed in Josh Maidan and Helipad. A Money Control report recently claimed that the magnum opus is facing legal problems due to a dispute over intellectual property rights with its primary production house, Allu Mantena Media Ventures LLP, claiming that the primary rights of Project Ramayana belong to them and not Prime Focus Technologies Limited.

And while it has been established that this legal conflict hasn’t slowed down work on the sets of the Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi starrer, News18 Showsha has exclusively learnt that its shoot may be running beyond the schedule makers had finalised on paper. But it’s unlikely that it will impact the schedule of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Love And War’. As was planned, the film also starring Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal will go on floors in November this year.

A source tells us, “Ranbir will continue shooting for Ramayana and begin the prep for Love And War in the second half of August or early September simultaneously. While Alia will get busy with filming YRF’s upcoming spy thriller with Sharvari Wagh, Ranbir will dive into script reading sessions and discussions with Bhansali before beginning its shoot. Bhansali, in fact, will begin Love And War with him as the latter may reach the conclusion of the shoot of the first part of the Ramayana trilogy by November.”

The source adds, “The shoot of Love And War will begin in Mumbai but a set for the same is yet to be constructed. The film will have some elaborate song sequences and for the same, Bhansali is personally still in discussions with his production design team. As for Vicky, when he will join the shoot still remains unclear.”

And as for Ramayana, the makers have strategically decided to cover up the sets from all directions and shoot indoors to avoid pictures being leaked, a plan put in place by producer Namit Malhotra. “The producers didn’t want any glimpses of the film to come out before an official announcement and despite trying their best – including opting for a no-phone policy on set – shutterbugs managed to click pictures of Ranbir and Sai’s looks from the film. Curtains have been put all around and the surveillance has been tightened to avoid further leaks,” states the source, further revealing that the working title of Ramayana is ‘God Power’.

On a related note, apart from Ramayana and Love And War, Ranbir has Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal Park in his kitty, the shoot schedule of which depends on when Vanga wraps Spirit. There are also reports that Ranbir will collaborate with Vikrant Massey for the first time on Rajkumar Hirani’s next but there’s no official confirmation on the same.