'India Did It 5,000 Years Ago': Ranbir Kapoor On Elon Musk's Flying Car Ahead Of Ramayana Release

Ranbir Kapoor compared Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster to the Pushpaka Vimana described in the Ramayana, saying India had a flying vehicle 5,000 years ago. The actor made the remark during a promotional interaction ahead of Ramayana's November 5 release.

“I must also add that Elon Musk recently invented a flying car,” Ranbir said, before adding that India had done it 5,000 years ago.

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Tesla unveiled its redesigned, thruster-equipped Roadster on October 15, announcing a production target of 2028. The demonstration featured rocket-style thrusters, while an invitation-only “Rocket” variant was described as having a full flight system. 

The Roadster name itself goes back much further. Tesla's original electric sports car entered regular production in 2008. A second-generation version was first unveiled in 2017, years before the latest demonstration.

During the interaction, Ranbir described playing Lord Ram as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and spoke about Rama as a brother, husband, father and friend. Yash, who plays Ravana, discussed the different versions of the Ramayana and the perspectives through which people understand it.

Earlier, An Apology Over His Dussehra Speech

The interaction comes after Ranbir apologised for a verbal slip during a Dussehra celebration in Kolkata on October 20.

While speaking about the festival's message, he said: “Dussehra hame ek bahut khubsurat baat yaad dilati hai, ki burai chahe kitni bhi taqatwar kyun naa ho, aakhir mein ant sacchai aur achchai ki hi hogi.”

He had used “ant”, meaning end, instead of “jeet”, meaning victory, inadvertently reversing the message he intended to deliver. The video circulated on social media, where users commented on the mistake and his upcoming portrayal of Lord Ram.

At Ramayana's grand musical event and full-album launch at the Chennai Trade Centre on October 21, Ranbir addressed the incident directly.

“I want to apologise about an incident that happened yesterday while I was at a Dussehra event. I had a slip of the tongue,” he said.

“What I was meant to say is ‘burai chahe kitni bhi taqatwar kyun naa ho, aakhir mein jeet sacchai aur achchai ki hogi.'”

With composer AR Rahman at the event, Ranbir recalled their collaboration on Rockstar and quoted a lyric to explain his difficulty in expressing himself.

“So this reminds me of a collaboration I had with AR Rahman sir in Rockstar. I want to say, ‘Jo bhi main kehna chahu, barbaad kare alfaz mere.' So I truly apologise for that.”

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana: Part 1 stars Ranbir as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. Sunny Deol plays Lord Hanuman, while Ravi Dubey portrays Lakshman. Produced by Namit Malhotra, the film features music by AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer and is scheduled to arrive in theatres on November 5.
 

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