FILM · 2011 · INDIA
Ra.One
181 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (181)
- #001
During the film's shoot in Mumbai, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited Yash Raj Studios to watch Khan at work.
- #002
Jackie Chan was approached for a role in the film, which ultimately went to Tom Wu.
- #003
R&B singer Akon recorded two songs for the film.
- #004
The idea for Ra. One came about six years earlier while watching a commercial on television. Sinha said, "The ad was about two children controlling a man with a remote control. It was fascinating and stayed with me visually for a while." Sinha wrote a three-page short story based on the commercial, which he thought was good enough to turn into a film.
- #005
Amitabh Bachchan provided the voice-over for the film's game trailer.
- #006
It contains 3,500 special effects shots.
- #007
Child actor Armaan Verma had to go through many rounds of auditions before he was finally cast as Prateek.
- #008
A massive CST station set was built at a studio in London to show the film's climax.
- #009
Arjun Rampal's look was kept secret throughout the film's promotion.
- #010
The film's promotions lasted at least 8 months.
- #011
Khan was advised to name the film after his own character, but he refused, citing the interdependence between good and evil.
- #012
Khan said he wanted to make a film devoted to father-son relationships, which he considered "neglected" in Bollywood.
- #013
Superstar Rajinikanth makes a cameo in the film, reprising the robot Chitti from the 2010 film Robot.
- #014
Dara Bubamara sampled the song "Chhamak Chhalo" for her song "Balkanac".
- #015
Responding to reports of similarities with other films, Khan said, "I have been inspired by many superhero films, but the film is original. In fact, Ra. One will be the world's first superhero-themed film where the superhero lives in a family."
- #016
The film's television broadcast rights were bought by Star India for a then-record 350 million INR, surpassing the record of "3 Idiots" (2009).
- #017
In both "Ra. One" and "Om Shanti Om" (2007), Khan's character is killed by Rampal's character, and a copy of Khan's character later causes the death of Rampal's character.
- #018
Khan initially met with a number of directors, including Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar, to direct the film, but they declined.
- #019
Before filming, Khan was reportedly influenced by Hassan's Dasavathaaram (2008) and received tips on large-scale filmmaking from actor Kamal Hassan.
- #020
1,200 artists worked for 1½ years to complete the visual effects.
- #021
The train scene in the film was inspired by the classic Indian film The Burning Train (1980).
- #022
Screenwriter Yash Patnaik claimed days before the release that the film resembled a concept he had developed several years earlier.
- #023
The film's first theatrical trailer was broadcast during the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
- #024
The film's title drew considerable media attention because it was the name of the villain rather than the protagonist.
- #025
Shahrukh Khan felt the film fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a superhero and flying, as well as having significant commercial potential.
- #026
Regarding the title, Khan noted that in films such as Sholay, Mr. India and Sadak, the villains are remembered better than the heroes.
- #027
According to Sinha, the title was not planned to emphasize the villain, and Ra. One was ultimately chosen because it sounded cooler than G. One.
- #028
It premiered with 600 prints in Germany, 344 in the US, 200-300 in South Korea, 202 in the UK, 79 in the Middle East, 75 in Russia, 51 in Australia, 49 in Canada, and 25 in New Zealand and Taiwan.
- #029
The Dubai gala, where Khan raised 30,000 AED (about US$8,200) to build a workshop for children with special needs, was followed by a high-profile dinner and charity auction.
- #030
The film was screened in more than 1,300 digital cinemas in India, breaking the record previously held by Bodyguard.
- #031
Despite the precautions taken, pirated versions of the film were offered for sale online a few hours after its release.
- #032
Khan stated that the leaked version of the song Chammak Challo was a rough version of the actual song and that the person responsible for the leak was being sought.
- #033
It was shown on 3,100 screens.
- #034
With a budget of 150 INR crore including promotional costs, it became the most expensive Indian film at the time of its release, surpassing the 132 INR crore budget of Enthiran (2010).
- #035
On 20 October 2011, Khan held a live chat with fans on Google Plus, the first time an Indian film star had done so.
- #036
The film's Indian television premiere took place on 21 January 2012 on STAR Gold, earning a 28% market share and 6.7 TVR for the channel.
- #037
Ra.One's reception abroad was more positive than its reception in India.
- #038
The character Ra.One was portrayed by three actors: Tom Wu (Aakaashi), Arjun Rampal and Kareena Kapoor (Sonia Subhamaniam), symbolising the character's shape-shifting ability.
- #039
Three actresses were initially considered for the female lead; Kapoor was ultimately chosen because she insisted on playing the role.
- #040
The film went on to break the record for the biggest single-day net collection and the biggest three-day opening weekend ever achieved by a Bollywood film, surpassing Bodyguard's previous records.
- #041
After Karan Arjun and Om Shanti Om, it was the third film in which one of Khan's two characters is killed and the other later has that killer killed.
- #042
It premiered in 2D, 3D and dubbed versions at the start of the five-day Diwali weekend.
- #043
The fourth stage was split into two schedules; the first schedule began in the first week of September 2010 at Filmistan Studios, while the second began in December 2010 and ran over a seven-day period.
- #044
Filming took place at a number of studios, chiefly Filmistan Studios, Film City and Yash Raj Studios in India, along with Black Hangar Studios in the United Kingdom.
- #045
Prime Focus handled the film's 3D conversion.
- #046
A few days before its theatrical release, Khan arranged a special screening of the film's final scene at Yash Raj Studios, where he invited close friends, family and the film's crew.
- #047
Despite precautions, the song Chammak Challo leaked several months before the soundtrack's official release.
- #048
Kapoor wore a flowing red sari in the dhoti style for the song Chammak Challo; since the song's premiere the costume has been called a "fashion rage" and became popular in India and in some overseas countries.
- #049
According to inside information, Akon was paid $350,000 to sing the song.
- #050
Sinha was worried about retaining Khan's support after his previous film Cash (2007) became a commercial failure, but Khan reportedly "remained unchanged".
- #051
Director Sinha spent about 3 months preparing the concepts for the costumes.
- #052
A total of 21 costumes were made for Shah Rukh Khan in the film.
- #053
Khan's suit was made of reinforced latex, was steel blue in colour and was equipped with microcomputer circuits.
- #054
Arjun Rampal's suit was made of 3-inch-thick solid rubber and was red in colour.
- #055
Principal photography began in March 2010, took place in India and the United Kingdom, and was overseen by an international crew.
- #056
Post-production involved 3D conversion and the application of visual effects; the latter was regarded as a technological breakthrough among Indian films.
- #057
Sinha spent several months studying music videos, digital art portals and comic books to prepare the film's foundation and characterization.
- #058
Both Khan and Sinha thanked their children for giving them courage and for regularly "approving" the film.
- #059
Nicola Pecorini served as cinematographer, with V. Manikandan assisting.
- #060
The film's producer was Bobby Chawla, but Gauri Khan later stepped in after Bobby Chawla suffered a brain hemorrhage.
- #061
Sabu Cyril and Marcus Wookey were hired for production design.
- #062
The shoot faced a series of difficulties, including rising costs, delays and security restrictions.
- #063
Ra.One featured three major action sequences shot on sets and at real locations in Mumbai and London.
- #064
Color grading was carried out by London-based colorist Richard Fearon.
- #065
Nvidia provided the information-technology-based software used for the effects.
- #066
The idea of converting the film to 3D was raised during shooting and was put into practice in July 2011 because of renewed interest in 3D films.
- #067
The 3D conversion required 2,600 artists to convert the film's 4,400 shots.
- #068
The necessary audio enhancements were provided using a Dolby Surround 7.1 system.
- #069
Despite precautions, post-production suffered serious delays because of an increased workload from the growing number of 3D and dubbed versions of the film and because of delays in completing the visual effects.
- #070
According to the cinematographer, post-production saw excessive use of CGI.
- #071
With only two days left to print the film and send it to cinemas, the delays raised serious concern about a possible delay in the release.
- #072
Khan postponed knee surgery in order to complete the film on time.
- #073
To create the suit, Khan had to enter a small room where a hot latex-like liquid was poured up to his neck and allowed to set, after which the mold was peeled off his body.
- #074
Khan's suit was joined with a hidden zipper and was later altered.
- #075
After Khan expressed dissatisfaction with the film's initial rush, computer-generated embellishments such as light beams and electricity were added to the costumes.
- #076
Kapoor later performed his own stunts despite his initial reluctance.
- #077
Manish Malhotra designed Kareena Kapoor's look and costume for the song "Chammak Challo", which received wide media coverage.
- #078
Khan faced difficulties with the superhero costume and prosthetic makeup.
- #079
Khan and Verma performed their own stunts.
- #080
Rajnikanth experienced health problems that caused a delay in filming his cameo appearance.
- #081
The Tamil and Telugu versions premiered with 275 prints and 125 prints respectively.
- #082
A number of advantages to the film's release were noted, such as the holiday season and higher 3D ticket prices, though there were doubts about the 3D version being released on time.
- #083
The film premiered in Pakistan and in non-traditional territories such as Brazil, Spain, Italy, Greece and Hong Kong.
- #084
A week before the film's release, multiplex owners in India decided to allot the film 95% of the total available screen space.
- #085
In early October 2011, distributors finalised a partnership deal to allow the film to be released in China with 1,000 prints.
- #086
The 3D version was released on 550 screens worldwide.
- #087
Its premiere in Toronto was held at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on 26 October 2011.
- #088
The widespread use of digital prints, which made up 50-60% of the total print count, drew attention.
- #089
Khan and Sinha undertook a multi-city tour, during which they unveiled a 3,600-foot-long fan letter scroll to collect audience messages.
- #090
The makers also collaborated with UTV Indiagames to design a social game titled "Ra. One Genesis", with a standalone script based on G. One.
- #091
The makers also collaborated with UTV Indiagames to design digital comics based on the film's characters.
- #092
The police and the Indian Railways security force objected to the film's train-based sequences, claiming that young people would "blindly imitate them" and thereby risk their lives.
- #093
In March 2012, a Mid-Day report claimed that Ra.One received a favourable note and suggested that the producers violated the rules by meeting with Board officials during the screening.
- #094
Khan denied claims that the leak of the song "Chammak Challo" was designed as a promotional stunt.
- #095
Star India later transferred the television broadcast rights to Disney XD, where the film premiered on 2 June 2012.
- #096
In May 2012, International Media Distribution announced that Ra.One would air on Comcast and Cox as part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month celebrations.
- #097
Khan initially wanted to add alternate endings to the theatrical release but later decided it was too risky.
- #098
The visual effects, handled by Red Chillies VFX under the supervision of Jeffrey Kleiser, won the Best Special Effects award at nine award ceremonies.
- #099
Music producer Abhijeet Vaghani also stated that they prepared a Spanish track, which he himself sang, consisting of an interaction scene between two people. They also brought in a Spanish translator to find the lyrics. However, the track was not included in the soundtrack.
- #100
Radio Mirchi held a contest for its listeners that offered not only a chance to attend the music launch event but also to meet the film's stars.
- #101
The film's music launch took place on a massive set at Mumbai Film City, where the film's music directors and cast performed.
- #102
The lyrics for the Tamil version were written by Vairamuthu, while the lyrics for the Telugu version were written by Vanamali, Rajshri Sudhakar and Bhuvanachandra.
- #103
In August, T-Series sent a legal notice to a jewellery brand demanding 20 million INR in compensation for illegally using an unreleased song at the India International Jewellery Week 2011.
- #104
Due to the extremely positive response to the album, especially the song "Chammak Challo", Akon decided to branch out specifically for Bollywood projects and make tracks, and now wants to have a dedicated branch for producing music for Bollywood with local talent.
- #105
Sinha later revealed that eight songs not selected for the final soundtrack remained and that there was a possibility of releasing them on a separate album.
- #106
"Chammak Challo" also topped the MirchiTop 100 list as the song of the year.
- #107
"Chammak Challo" also entered iTunes' Top 10 "World Songs" list in eight countries, reaching number one in three of them.
- #108
Akon sang the Hindi portions of the song as well as the English portions himself.
- #109
"Chammak Challo" was produced by Giorgio Tuinfort, who also produced Gwen Stefani's song The Sweet Escape, which features Akon.
- #110
According to the music directors, the Senegalese-American R&B singer had no trouble at all singing the Hindi lyrics: "It was really easy for Akon. When he came to the studio and we told him he also had to sing in Hindi, he was really excited. When he heard the lines, he started singing fluently. It only took him three to four hours to learn it… he understood everything so well," said Shekhar.
- #111
Khan's production house Red Chillies made a video for Delhi-based DJ Khushi's remix version and posted it on the film's official YouTube channel.
- #112
Ganesh Hegde choreographed the song "Chammak Challo".
- #113
Mauritius-based fashion consultant Kiran Gidwani-Tolaram reported that there was a "flood" of demand for the exact same style of sari, and remarked that the style in question was a favourite of the wife of the Prime Minister of Mauritius.
- #114
The look of Rampal's character was closely guarded, with the entire shooting unit required to keep mobile phones away from the filming locations and to sign confidentiality agreements.
- #115
The first appearance of the lead character was initially planned to be unveiled on the eve of Dussehra, to show the symbolism between Ra. One and the mythological villain Ravana (from the Ramayana), both of whom were presumed to be "equally bad". However, due to some technical glitches, it was instead revealed to the media later during the Tamil-language audio launch of the film at Sathyam Cinemas in Chennai.
- #116
In an interview, Arjun Rampal revealed that he had to spend about three and a half hours in the gym every day for roughly a year.
- #117
Rampal stated that he had to shave off his long curls, which his children loved to play with.
- #118
The game "Ra. One Genesis" rose to number one on the iTunes store within 24 hours of its release and became the first Bollywood film app to be featured most prominently on iPhone and iPad.
- #119
Khan launched an official Facebook page for G. One known as the G. One Squad, which allowed users to enlist as members of the G. One Squad.
- #120
An official G. One store was opened on the film's official website, where people could buy film-related merchandise.
- #121
The film-related merchandise included back-to-school items, limited-edition toys and other things.
- #122
The game "Ra. One Genesis" was released on platforms such as mobile phones, tablet computers, direct-to-home platforms and social networking sites like Facebook.
- #123
Famous R&B singer Akon recorded two songs for the film.
- #124
The film features 3,500 special effects shots.
- #125
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai during the shoot to watch Shah Rukh Khan at work.
- #126
Although a sequel never officially went into production, a 4D multi-sensory virtual cinema ride titled Ra. One Unleashed, set after the events of the film, premiered in Dubai. A recording of the ride surfaced online and was believed by many to be a leaked sequel.
- #127
In 2023, Anubhav Sinha stated that he felt the film was harshly judged at the time of its release, but that he was pleased by the growing audience appreciation for it over the years.
- #128
While promoting his next release Don 2 (2011), Shah Rukh Khan was asked about the criticism he received for Ra. One. Khan, mentioning a midlife crisis, shared that some critics had made it personal about him, and that he gave only a three-word response to all of it: "go to hell".
- #129
The film was released in cinemas in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
- #130
It was heavily influenced by the 1995 Hollywood film Virtuosity.
- #131
Arjun Rampal's appearance was kept secret. To protect his look, he would wear a scarf over his head in public places.
- #132
Story drafts were devised by Atul Chouthmal, who signed a contract after meeting Khan at Yash Raj Studios.
- #133
When Atul Chouthmal began working on the storyboards, the producers hired a storyboard artist from Hollywood.
- #134
Chouthmal explained that his vision for the film differed from that of Khan and the other artist, and that this was why he was brought back.
- #135
The first phase of shooting began on 21 March 2010 in Goa and continued until May.
- #136
The second and third phases took place in London with the full cast, starting in July 2010 and ending in August.
- #137
Procedures such as bullet time were also incorporated into the film.
- #138
The production design was closely tied to the lighting and cinematography to facilitate smooth filming.
- #139
Red Chillies VFX partnered with a number of visual effects studios around the world.
- #140
Red Chillies' VFX took on the integration of the visual effects under the supervision of Jeffrey Kleiser.
- #141
Resul Pookutty was hired for the sound design.
- #142
The 3D conversion process required 2,600 artists to convert the film's 4,400 shots.
- #143
The sound design involved bridging the real and virtual worlds.
- #144
Work on incorporating the visual effects began in April 2010, following extensive research.
- #145
A number of complex procedures were applied, including cubic transformations and the design of Ra.One's faceless form.
- #146
Post-production also faced budget constraints.
- #147
Khan later monitored the progress of the work closely in order to release the film on time.
- #148
Andy Gill and Spiro Razatos were hired as stunt supervisors.
- #149
Nino Pansini was hired as stunt cinematographer.
- #150
Both the shooting crew and the film's post-production crew included Indian and foreign personnel.
- #151
For the song "Chammak Challo", fashion experts praised the costume and Kapoor's ability to carry it off "stunningly," though some experts objected to the naming of the sari's colour.
- #152
Rampal and Kapoor followed special diets to lose weight for their roles.
- #153
Dutt's character was named Khalnayak after the popular character from the film of the same name.
- #154
Khan was the first actor to be cast in the film.
- #155
Rampal accepted the role of Ra. One after Sinha showed a strong desire to have him in the film.
- #156
Tom Wu signed on for the film in July 2010, and Shahana Goswami joined the cast a month later.
- #157
Bachchan agreed to appear in the film at the request of Khan and Sinha.
- #158
The villain's name means "Rough One" and is Raavan, a blend of ten evil characters from Hindu mythology.
- #159
The hero's name means "Good One" and is also Jeevan, the Hindi word for life.
- #160
It set a new record for Bollywood films by earning 1.32 billion INR from pre-release revenue sources.
- #161
Expectations for the film among trade analysts were equally high; some commented that it would surpass 1 billion INR in one week and 3 billion INR within three weeks.
- #162
Of the marketing budget, 50 million INR was spent on internet promotions alone.
- #163
The film's first theatrical poster was released in December 2010.
- #164
Two promotional trailers were released during the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.
- #165
Rampal's look in the film was revealed in late October 2011.
- #166
In May 2011, the film was screened for test audiences to study and measure its appeal across different age groups.
- #167
Between 24 and 26 October 2011, international premieres of "Ra. One" were held in Dubai, London and Toronto, all chosen for their international importance and large South Asian populations.
- #168
The Tamil and Telugu versions of the soundtrack premiered on 10 October 2011, each consisting of six tracks.
- #169
The Hindi version of the soundtrack was released on 12 September 2011.
- #170
Shahrukh Khan is said to have met the singer in New York, where he was a "big fan", and then asked him to fly to India to record a song for the film.
- #171
The song Chammak Challo was co-composed by Akon and recorded at Yash Raj Studios.
- #172
Jiya Mora Ghabraaye was originally composed as an instrumental piece as part of the background score, but after the production team's strong appreciation it was ultimately turned into an original song and added to the album.
- #173
The film's music was dedicated to Yash Johar and Bobby Chawla.
- #174
The film was initially scheduled for release on 12 September 2011, and its full music album was leaked online two days earlier.
- #175
The premiere of the Tamil version's audio was held on 10 October 2011 at Satyam Cinemas in Chennai.
- #176
In a poll conducted by wireless phone giant Airtel, "Chammak Challo" was chosen as India's most downloaded song and video of the year.
- #177
This is Akon's first musical collaboration with Indian artists.
- #178
"Chammak Challo" was rated the best product number of 2011 in the Mid-Day poll.
- #179
The song "Dildara" sampled Ben King's song "Stand By Me".
- #180
The film's VFX was well received after its release, but appreciation grew stronger when bigger, higher-budget films such as Adipurush (2023) were criticised for their VFX.
- #181
Sanjay Dutt made a cameo appearance in the film, which starred Shahrukh Khan. He later also made a cameo appearance in Jawaan (2023), another Shahrukh Khan film.
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