A cultural leap for us: Allu Arjun, Rishab Shetty calls Ramayana more than a film

Actor Allu Arjun wants audiences to rally behind Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, calling the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer more than just a film. Ahead of its theatrical release on November 5, the actor sent his wishes to the team, describing the ambitious project as a representation of Indian culture and an attempt to raise the bar for Indian cinema.Sharing his views on X, Allu shared a message urging people to come together and support the film. "My best wishes to the entire #Ramayana team. It’s not just a movie. It’s a representation of our culture and an attempt to raise the bar of Indian films. I wholeheartedly send my pure, positive wishes to the entire team for their divine attempt. Let’s all unite and come forward to support a pure attempt that carries our stories, our culture and our glory. Jai Sri Ram (sic)," he wrote.See his reaction here:Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal too shared his excitement for Ramayana, revealing that his son brought home a figurine of Lord Rama, calling him his new favourite superhero. The actor praised the team for bringing the epic to life on such a grand scale, saying he felt proud as an artist and couldn't wait to watch it with his family. "Ram ji aaye Rampal ke ghar. My heart was overjoyed with pride and love, when my son brought home a figurine of Lord Rama, introducing him as his new favourite super hero. Tomorrow the world and a whole new generation will be introduced to the Ramayana (sic)," he wrote.See his post here:Kannada actor Rishab Shetty wrote, "There's something truly special about seeing our timeless stories and culture brought to life on such a grand scale. A proud moment for Indian cinema (sic)."See his post here:His message comes as the film gathers momentum ahead of its release. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana recently had its premiere at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, where it received positive reviews. Its advance bookings have also picked up pace, with the film collecting around Rs 100 crore in Indian pre-sales for its opening weekend by Wednesday morning. Around Rs 33 crore of that amount came from opening-day bookings.Interestingly, ticket sales in India took some time to get going. Although global advance bookings opened on Dussehra, October 15, bookings at most Indian cinemas were delayed following a disagreement between exhibitors and the film's distributors over revenue sharing. While overseas pre-sales began immediately, Indian audiences had to wait until around five days before the release to book their tickets at most screens.More about Ramayana: Rise of a LegendThe two-part adaptation of the ancient Indian epic features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. Sunny Deol plays Hanuman, while Ravi Dubey has been cast as Lakshman.Produced by Namit Malhotra and Yash, the film has music by AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer. With a celebrated cast and an ambitious retelling of one of India's most familiar epics, the project has been mounted on a grand scale.- Ends