Actor Kunal Kapoor, who plays the role of Indra in ‘Ramayana: Part One’, says the film represents a crucial milestone for the Indian film industry as its success could inspire filmmakers to take more creative and financial risks.

Kapoor, who appears in the first part of the movie, said the film’s success will be good for the industry, according to a PTI report from Mumbai yesterday.

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the two-part cinematic adaptation of the Indian epic features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravan, and Kapoor plays Lord Indra.

It has been touted as the costliest Indian movie ever with a reported budget of Rs 4,000 crore for two parts.

“There’s a lot of money that’s gone into making the film, and it’s very important that this money is recovered.

“But it is very inspiring to see somebody who had this kind of ambition for Indian cinema, and it’s very important that a film like this does well, not just for us as actors or filmmakers, but for Indian cinema as a whole.

“If a film like this does well, it’s great for the whole industry, because then more people will have the courage to be ambitious,” he told PTI in an interview.

Released on November 5, ‘Ramayana: Part One’ has earned Rs 663 crore worldwide in five days of its release.

A Times of India report yesterday evening stated the total BO collections stood at Rs 673.90 crore, with India earnings seeing a spike yesterday on the sixth day riding discounted tickets.

The reviews for the film have been mostly positive with some criticism surrounding its focus on CGI, the PTI report added.

Kapoor, however, is not too worried about that. “There will be all kinds of opinions.

“People have their own interpretation of the story and they want to see it in a certain way so you have to allow the audience to express what they’re feeling,” he said.

Kapoor said the decision to star in the movie was a ”no-brainer” for him as he was instantly drawn to the massive scale and the team’s meticulous research.

“They called me and I went to meet him and he said ‘We are looking for somebody that has a lot of strength, vulnerability and a gentleness to him’. They felt I was a combination of both of that,” he said, adding that in recent pop culture Lord Indra has been ”misrepresented”.

To look the part of a warrior king, Kapoor said he had to maintain a certain physique, but luckily, he had already gained eight kilograms of muscle mass for his role in the Telugu socio-fantasy film ‘Vishwambhara’.

“We were starting to shoot ‘Ramayana’ after that film was over. So, for me, I’d already put on that kind of muscle and it was about retaining that muscle physically,” he said, adding that they relied on American stunt director Terry Notary for the action sequences.

Filming the battle sequences against green screens, including a major confrontation scene with Ravana, played by Yash, wasn’t easy, Kapoor said, adding that it demanded imagination and physical endurance due to the weight of armour and headgear.

“It’s challenging because there’s nothing around you; you’re not in the actual location. But it’s also very interesting because it takes you back to why you became an actor in the first place, acting is all about imagination.

“So, it was a lot of fun to do because you’ve got to imagine everything,” he said.