Actor Anupam Kher revealed the effort that went into bringing Jatayu's character to life in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana. The actor, who has lent his voice to the giant bird in the film, disclosed that he rehearsed Jatayu's final 'Hey Ram' dialogue nearly 200 times to get the emotion and delivery right.
For the unawares, one of the most emotional sequences in the film features Jatayu taking on Ravana while trying to save Sita. Despite putting up a brave fight, the elderly bird suffers fatal injuries.
Speaking about the scene in an interview with Variety, Anupam revealed that getting the character's emotions right was a challenging process.
The actor said he worked closely with director Nitesh Tiwari during the dubbing sessions. Unlike conventional dubbing assignments, Anupam did not have an existing performance to refer to. However, the director had a clear understanding of how he wanted Jatayu's relationship with Lord Rama to be portrayed.
Talking about the effort behind the final dialogue, Anupam said, “Especially the ‘Hey Ram' in the end… I must have tried that at least 200 times. Because it's a small line and one has heard it and said it. But the sound and the voice needed to be apt as per the situation,”
He further explained that understanding Jatayu's physical and emotional condition was important to delivering the scene convincingly. “It's a bird who is brave, who is dying, who is old, who has just been in such a spectacular fight with Ravana. So there are some things where you have to involve your soul and heart,” he added.
Anupam also shared an interesting anecdote about the emotional impact of Jatayu's death on audiences. Recalling an interaction involving Yash's son, Yatharv, the actor revealed that the young boy questioned his father about the bird's death after watching the film.
“The emotional impact can be felt throughout the big fight and the movie at large. Yash's son told him, ‘Why did you kill this bird?' This is why it's important to do a great job,” he said.
Ramayana features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film was released in theatres on November 5, while its second instalment is scheduled to arrive in 2028.
