‘India did it 5,000 years ago’: Ranbir Kapoor compares Elon Musk’s flying car to Pushpaka Vimana
The actor, who plays Rama in Ramayana, drew an unusual comparison between Elon Musk’s futuristic flying car technology and the Pushpaka Vimana described in the ancient Hindu epic.
Ranbir Kapoor compares Elon Musk’s car with Pushpaka Vimana
The conversation began when Suma spoke about how some of the weapons and other elements described in the could be compared with ideas behind modern inventions. Director Nitesh Tiwari agreed, discussing how fascinating it was for the team to reimagine these elements while creating the world of the film.
That’s when Ranbir jumped into the conversation and said, “Elon Musk recently invented a flying car. I think India did it 5,000 years ago.”
His comment drew applause from Suma as well as Rakul Preet Singh, who plays Shurpanakha in the film.
Ranbir was referring to the Pushpaka Vimana, the mythical flying vehicle associated with Ravana in the Ramayana. His remark was made while discussing how the filmmakers have interpreted the epic’s fantastical elements for the big screen.
Pushpaka Vimana took two years to design
Ramayana director revealed that the team spent nearly two years arriving at its final design. The changes also had a direct impact on the film’s action sequences, particularly the battle involving Ravana and Jatayu.
https://www
“It took us close to two years to arrive at the final design, and a lot changed along the way. That’s why we took so much time to create the Ravana and Jatayu fight. When we were working on the earlier design of the Pushpaka Vimana, we imagined it would look a certain way, so we choreographed the fight accordingly. However, once we finalised a slightly different design for the Vimana, we had to go through several iterations to make it fit the existing choreography,” Nitesh said.
What did Elon Musk say about Tesla’s new Roadster?
Elon Musk unveiled details about the vehicle in October and claimed that technology derived from his aerospace company SpaceX would give the car extraordinary capabilities, including the ability to effectively “fly like a rocket.”
Turns out the future does have flying cars https://t.co/6fexPp6SXI
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 16, 2026
According to The Guardian, a demonstration of the Tesla Roadster 2 was held at SpaceX’s rocket development and testing facility in Texas. Musk said the two-seater sports car could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under one second.
Our design language has evolved since the last reveal: from S3XY to Cybertruck, Cybercab & Optimus
Roadster is inspired by the SR-71 & F-35 https://t.co/CV7trDTS66
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 16, 2026
The redesigned Roadster reportedly uses rocket-style thrusters and is expected to enter production in 2028.
Ramayana gears up for release
Ramayana: Part 1 features Ranbir Kapoor as Rama and Sai Pallavi as Sita, while Yash steps into the role of Ravana. Ravie Dubey plays Lakshmana, Sunny Deol portrays Hanuman, and Rakul Preet Singh appears as Shurpanakha.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra, the film has been mounted as a large-scale cinematic adaptation of the Ramayana. The music brings together two Oscar-winning composers, AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer.