‘Barbaad Karein Alfaaz Mere’: Ranbir Kapoor Apologises for Dussehra Speech Slip at Ramayana Event

Ranbir Kapoor has apologised for a verbal slip during a Dussehra event that set social media buzzing — and he did it by quoting himself.

The incident took place on October 20 at a Dussehra celebration in Kolkata, where Ranbir appeared alongside members of the Ramayana team. While speaking about the festival’s central message — the victory of good over evil — the actor mistakenly used the Hindi word “ant” (end) instead of “jeet” (victory). The slip made his sentence suggest that truth and goodness would come to an end, rather than triumph over evil. A video of the speech circulated widely online, with many users noting the irony that the actor set to play Lord Ram had fumbled a line about dharma on Dussehra itself.

Addressing the episode at a Ramayana promotional event in Chennai on October 21, Ranbir acknowledged the mistake and expressed regret, calling it an unintentional slip of the tongue. In a moment of self-aware humour, he borrowed a line from his own 2011 film Rockstar: “Jo bhi main kehna chahoon, barbaad karein alfaaz mere!” — whatever I want to say, my words ruin it.

The gaffe was tailor-made for the internet era, and that is precisely why it travelled so fast. A star about to embody Lord Ram — the very symbol of righteousness — misspeaking about good versus evil on Dussehra is the kind of irony social media was built to amplify. But the episode also says something about the stakes around Ramayana itself: with the film positioned as Indian cinema’s biggest-ever release on November 5, every public appearance by its lead is being clipped, shared and judged in real time. Ranbir’s recovery — quick, gracious and disarmingly funny — was exactly the right play. In a campaign of this scale, owning a small embarrassment beats letting it fester.

Ramayana: Part One, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, stars Ranbir as Lord Rama alongside Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana, and releases worldwide on November 5.

For more on the film, read our earlier story: Ramayana Part 1 trailer, release date & cast.

Source: Bollywood Hungama; Bombay Times