Kunal Kapoor's Lord Indra in Ramayana Sparks Calls for a Standalone Film, and Fans Are Offering to Crowdfund It
There is a pleasing irony buried in this story. The audience wants to crowdfund a film for Kunal Kapoor, an actor who co-founded Ketto, one of India's best-known crowdfunding platforms.
The occasion is his Lord Indra in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, now running in theatres. Glimpses of the character have spread across social media, and a section of viewers has decided that one role is not enough.
What viewers are asking for
The idea is simple: a standalone film on Indra, king of the devas, with Kapoor in the lead.
One fan addressed the director directly: "@niteshtiwari22 bhai, Kunal Kapoor k sath #Indra bana do... Bachpan se Indra ke baare me bahot padha, suna hai... Vese bhi project bada hai OTT me hi daal dena!" (Make an Indra film with Kunal Kapoor. I've read and heard so much about Indra since childhood. Put it on OTT if needed.)
Another wrote that "Kunal Kapoor as Indra looked so ethereal he deserves a standalone movie on Indra!"
And then the money question. "Should we just crowdfund and make one together?" one user asked. Another replied: "@kapoorkkunal, if this dude is playing Indra, then heck yeah! Let's crowdfund it!"
Why Indra, of all gods
The enthusiasm has a second layer. One viewer argued that Indra has too often been shown as "some sort of joke", and asked for a version that takes the king of the devas seriously. The actor is "fire", the same post said, but "we need better storyline."
That is a fair creative brief. Indra's mythology, from the slaying of Vritra to his complicated place in later epics, is rich enough for a film. It has seldom been treated that way on screen.
Why Kapoor, of all actors
Kapoor has built an unusual career: Rang De Basanti, Dear Zindagi, Gold, and the Mughal emperor Babur in The Empire. He tends to play men of quiet authority, which is exactly what a dignified Indra would need.
The reality check
No Indra spin-off has been announced, and fan campaigns rarely turn into films on their own. But the response tells the makers something useful: audiences are invested in this world beyond its central characters. That matters for a franchise its producer has openly described as a cinematic universe.
Ramayana, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, is in cinemas now. Read our full review.
Frequently asked questions
Who plays Lord Indra in Ramayana?
Kunal Kapoor plays Lord Indra in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana.
Is there an Indra spin-off film?
No spin-off has been announced. The calls for one are coming from viewers on social media.
Why are fans talking about crowdfunding?
Several viewers on X suggested crowdfunding a standalone Indra film starring Kunal Kapoor.
Did Kunal Kapoor co-found a crowdfunding platform?
Yes. He is a co-founder of Ketto, an Indian crowdfunding platform.
Kenneth Hopkins is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AltBollywood. Indofuturist, posthumanist and unapologetically Indocentric, he describes himself as an epimemeticist, a swaraji, a freakonomist, a lexicographer and a cartochronicler, mapping the ideas, words and quiet shifts that shape Indian entertainment. Follow him on Instagram at @kennethhopkins.
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