Actor Hrithik Roshan has responded to mixed reactions on social media over the visual effects (VFX) and visual style of the teaser for the upcoming film Ramayana, starring Ranbir Kapoor.

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the upcoming adaptation of the Hindu epic also stars Sai Pallavi as Goddess Sita and Yash as Ravana. The teaser of the film, introducing Ranbir as Lord Rama, was dropped on April 2 on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti.

While a section of users on social media were impressed by the visuals and scale of Ramayana, many others were not impressed. The ‘cartoonish VFX’ of the teaser was heavily criticised by X users.

Addressing the criticism, Roshan penned a note on Instagram acknowledged that “bad VFX exists”.

“It’s sometimes so bad it’s painful to watch. Especially for me… and especially when it’s a film I’m part of.” He recalled how, as an 11-year-old, watching Back to the Future had a lasting impact on him. “I became obsessed. I would sit with my dad’s VHS player studying the frames pause -play pause-play until I broke the player,” Hrithik wrote.

The actor praised filmmakers who take creative risks to deliver visually ambitious projects, calling them “special humans” and “my heroes.” He cited films such as Kalki 2898 AD, Baahubali, and Ramayana, along with his father Rakesh Roshan’s work on Koi Mil Gaya and Krrish.

“They have the guts and vision to do what’s never been done – all for the love of cinema so that we – the audience – get to experience something never watched before,” he said. “From my point of view, they risked all that money, and years and years of effort just so another 11 year old kid could feel what I felt. To me, that’s noble.”

Hrithik also emphasised the scale of work behind VFX-heavy productions. “It takes thousands of our artistes working round the clock for multiple years to bring VFX-heavy films to life, so the least we can do is bash them with some better awareness,” he said.

On the question of visual styles, the actor said filmmakers often adopt different approaches depending on the narrative. “There are different VFX styles adopted by makers to bring their vision to life. It’s like in comics or animation – some prefer ANIME style but that’s not as realistic as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. You can like one style over the other but neither is wrong,” he said, adding, “You can’t criticize the maker just cause he has chosen one style while you prefer another style. That’s not fair.”

He urged viewers to assess whether the visuals serve the story. “Sometimes when you say ‘bad VFX.’ Maybe it’s just a style you didn’t expect? So next time don’t just ask, ‘Is it real?’ First ask, ‘Is it right for the story?’ ‘Is it making me feel what the maker intended?’ Debate it. But debate it with awareness,” he said.

Responding to a fan query on how audiences can better understand VFX content, Roshan said, “I guess - wait till you watch the entire movie before you judge. Till then hold your opinion.”

To another question on whether filmmakers should allow more time for post-production amid criticism of unfinished VFX, he replied, “yeah that is truly a mystery.”

Produced by Namit Malhotra, Ramayana is set to release in two parts. Part 1 will hit theatres on Diwali 2026 while the second part will arrive on the big screen in 2027.