Over the decades, the ‘Ramayana’ has been adapted multiple times for both television and cinema, but Ramanand Sagar’s late-1980s TV series continues to be regarded as one of the most beloved retellings of the epic. As Nitesh Tiwari prepares to bring the story back to the big screen with ‘Ramayana’, the film has already sparked conversations over its casting. Following the release of the trailer, a section of viewers questioned the choice of Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram and Sai Pallavi as Sita. Joining the discussion, Ramanand Sagar’s grandson, Shiv Sagar, admitted that while he was impressed with much of the casting, he initially had doubts about Ranbir because of his “Animal baggage.”Shiv Sagar said the latest trailer gave a much better impression of the film than the earlier teaser.“I saw the trailer that was released yesterday, and of course, the trailer was much better than the teaser because the previous teaser they had put out had very little information. This was a longer trailer where we could see more of the characters, more of the VFX, and there was also the reveal of Ravan, who is played by Yash,” he said in a video shared by The Climax India.
Shiv went on to praise the casting of Yash as Raavan and Sai Pallavi as Sita, saying their cultural background gives them a natural understanding of Indian mythology.“Overall, I really like the casting of Yash as Ravan, and I also really like Sai Pallavi as Sita because they’re from South India, and these actors really understand our mythology. These are stories that have been told to them from a very young age by their grandparents. So they really know the mannerisms and understand these characters very well. I think that’s why Yash and Sai Pallavi were really able to incorporate these characters into their performances.”However, he confessed that he remains uncertain about Ranbir Kapoor portraying Lord Ram, largely because audiences continue to associate the actor with his recent on-screen image.“I did not really care much for some of the other actors. I felt that, typically, what we have done is always cast a fresh face for a character like Ram. Because Ranbir has a lot of baggage with him, especially after Animal, I really don’t know if he will be accepted as Ram.”Ranbir Kapoor was last seen as Ranvijay Singh in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s 2023 blockbuster ‘Animal’, where he portrayed a deeply flawed and violent protagonist.Addressing the criticism surrounding his casting during the promotions of ‘Ramayana’ at San Diego Comic-Con, Ranbir admitted that he too initially questioned whether he was the right choice for the role.“The first question that popped into my head was, am I worthy? Am I the right person and why am I being gifted this responsibility to not play Lord Rama but represent him? But very soon you understand the value, the responsibility and the noble intention of the filmmakers to present the story, which has been relevant for 4,000 years. It’s deeply ingrained in our subconscious. So I don’t think there’s a right actor to play Lord Rama,” he said.He also acknowledged that opinions on the casting would naturally differ because every viewer imagines Lord Ram differently.“All the people who have watched Ramayana, they all have their own interpretation of Lord Ram. There is no fixed face to it. Many people will probably feel like I am the wrong casting. Some people will say I am the right casting. But the honest truth is that the right casting for Ram would be any actor who has the right intentions and who has belief and faith in the journey of Lord Ram.”Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, ‘Ramayana’ is produced by Namit Malhotra and Yash. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Raavan, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, Sunny Deol as Hanuman, and Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi. Its trailer was unveiled on July 24, ahead of the film’s theatrical release.