Ramayana inspired The Odyssey? Nitesh Tiwari believes Homer may have borrowed from Indian epic; Ranbir Kapoor calls one scene a 'sweet coincidence'

When Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey featured a queen challenging her suitors to string a bow and shoot an arrow, Indian audiences were quick to recognise a familiar connection. Many viewers were reminded of the swayamvar from the Ramayana, where Lord Rama lifts and breaks Lord Shiva’s mighty bow.

The director of Ramayana, Nitesh Tiwari and its lead actor Ranbir Kapoor also pointed out the similarities between the two stories. In an interview with Screen Rant, the filmmaker and actor discussed the connection between the two stories, particularly their respective bow challenges.

Did Homer take inspiration from the Ramayana?

Tiwari said he noticed the similarities and believes Homer could have been familiar with the Indian epic while writing parts of The Odyssey. He also expressed happiness at seeing elements that reminded him of the Ramayana in a Western literary work.


“Ramayana is the oldest epic, and I believe Homer was inspired by Ramayana in some way; having written those bits in Odyssey,” Tiwari told Screen Rant.

The filmmaker added that he felt the similarities could help audiences in the West connect with the story he is bringing to the screen. However, his suggestion was only his personal belief and not a historical fact.

What Ranbir Kapoor said about the similarities

Kapoor also noticed the resemblance when he watched The Odyssey. However, the actor was more inclined to describe the similarities as a coincidence.

“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,” he said.

Kapoor also recalled filming the bow-lifting sequence for Tiwari's adaptation. He said the experience gave him goosebumps despite the prop not being particularly heavy.

“I just had some weird current going up and down just to be part of such an iconic moment,” he said.

How the bow challenge connects the two epics

In the Ramayana, King Janaka invites suitors to Mithila to compete for his daughter Sita's hand in marriage. They must lift and string the Shivadhanush, a powerful bow associated with Lord Shiva. While several suitors fail, Rama manages to lift it and breaks it while attempting to string it, winning Sita's hand.

In The Odyssey, Penelope faces pressure from suitors after her husband Odysseus has been away for years and is presumed dead. She sets a challenge that requires them to string Odysseus' bow and shoot an arrow through 12 axe heads. The returning Odysseus is ultimately the one who succeeds.

Christopher Nolan's adaptation features Matt Damon as Odysseus and Anne Hathaway as Penelope.

Tiwari's two-part adaptation features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. The cast also includes Ravie Dubey as Lakshman and Sunny Deol as Hanuman.