Nitesh Tiwari's magnum opus, Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, was released in theaters on November 5.  But much before that, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey arrived in theaters, and many similarities were drawn between the film and the mythological epic.One of the most striking similarities between the two epics is the bow-stringing challenge. In Homer's The Odyssey, Penelope organises a competition for her suitors, challenging them to string Odysseus' bow and shoot an arrow through twelve axe heads. None of the suitors succeeds. Odysseus, who has returned home disguised as a beggar, eventually completes the challenge and reveals his identity, reclaiming his household.A similar episode appears in the Ramayana during Sita's swayamvar. Her father, King Janaka, sets a challenge involving Lord Shiva's divine bow. Several kings and warriors failed, but Rama succeeded in lifting and breaking it, winning Sita's hand in marriage.Also Read: Ramayana Breaks Another Record As 1.4 Lakh Tickets Sold In One HourFilmmaker Nitesh Tiwari believes the ancient Indian epic Ramayana may have inspired parts of Homer's The Odyssey. The director recently discussed the similarities between the two stories. In an interview with ScreenRant, Tiwari was asked about the parallels between the bow sequences in The Odyssey and Ramayana and whether the similarities were intentional.Sharing his perspective, the filmmaker said, “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 which belongs to the West side, and it's going to make it very easier for the people to also connect with what we were trying to bring to the West also.”Ranbir Kapoor calls the similarity a ‘sweet coincidence'Ranbir Kapoor, who plays Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari's film, also shared his reaction to the similarities between the two stories. Calling it a sweet coincidence, the actor said that when he watched The Odyssey, the bow sequence immediately reminded him of the Ramayana.“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,” Kapoor said.The actor also spoke about the emotional experience of filming the swayamvar sequence. “So it was just goosebumps when we were performing that scene, when we were doing the whole lifting of the bow, even though it was not that heavy and I was acting like it was, but I could feel it when I was lifting it above my head. I just had some weird current going up and down just to be part of such an iconic moment,” he recalled.Also Read: Ramayana vs Godzilla Minus Zero: Who Dominated At International Box Office?All About RamayanaMade under the direction of Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana: Rise of a Legend features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash in the villainous role of Ravana, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. The mythological saga also includes Rakul Preet Singh in the role of Surpanakha, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Kajal Aggarwal as Mandodari, Arun Govil, Vivek Oberoi and Sheeba Chaddha in pivotal roles.Made on a staggering budget of Rs 4,000 crore, the first instalment is currently playing in theatres, while the second instalment is expected to arrive in theatres in 2028.