Did The Odyssey Take Inspiration From Ramayana? Nitesh Tiwari Shares His Theory

Two ancient epics may have more in common than audiences realize. Ramayana director Nitesh Tiwari believes Homer's The Odyssey may have drawn inspiration from the Indian epic. He discussed the similarities with Ranbir Kapoor, particularly their respective bow sequences.

Director Nitesh Tiwari Believes Homer Was Inspired By Ramayana

In an exclusive interview with ScreenRant, Nitesh and Ranbir discussed the similarities between the two stories. Both feature an important bow sequence involving their central heroes. When asked whether he noticed the parallels while making the film, Nitesh shared his thoughts on Homer's possible inspiration.

Nitesh explained why he believes the Indian epic may have influenced the Greek story. He 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."

However, there is no established historical evidence that Homer directly borrowed from Ramayana. Nitesh presented this as his personal belief rather than a proven historical connection. He also felt the similarities could help Western audiences connect with the Indian epic.

Ranbir Kapoor Explains Why Ramayana's Bow Scene Felt Special

Ranbir also noticed the similarities after watching The Odyssey. However, he described filming Rama's bow sequence as a different experience. The actor shared his reaction to seeing the parallels and expressed his admiration for Christopher Nolan. He said, "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."

The two scenes have different purposes in their respective stories. In Ramayana, Rama lifts and breaks Shiva's bow during a ceremony to win Sita's hand in marriage. In The Odyssey, Odysseus strings his bow and shoots an arrow through twelve axe heads to defeat Penelope's suitors and reclaim his home.

Ranbir also recalled the feeling of filming the iconic moment, even though the prop bow was not heavy. He said, "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."

Ramayana Part One is currently running in theatres.