- Shiv Sagar says Ranbir Kapoor’s past roles make it difficult for him to see the actor as Lord Rama.
- Ramanand Sagar’s grandson believes a fresh face would have suited the role better.
- He praises Yash and Sai Pallavi and says the audience will have the final sa
Ranbir Kapoor's casting as Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana has once again become a talking point. This time, Shiv Sagar, grandson of filmmaker Ramanand Sagar, shared his reservations about the choice. Shiv, whose grandfather created the iconic 1987 television series Ramayan, believes the role needed an actor without a strong image from earlier films.
Shiv said he personally finds it difficult to see Ranbir as Lord Rama after watching him in Animal. He stressed that his comments were not about Ranbir's acting skills, but about the image an actor carries with them.
“Except for that one casting, I like the rest of the casting very much. Personally, I cannot accept Ranbir Kapoor as Ram because after Animal, I cannot accept him as Ram. When I look at Ram ji, I feel that a fresh face should have been taken,” Shiv Sagar said, as per ANI.
Ranbir's performance as Ranvijay Singh in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal had a very different tone. The character was violent and aggressive. For Shiv, that previous screen image could make it harder for some viewers to accept the actor as Lord Rama.
At the same time, Shiv made it clear that he has no issue with Ranbir as an actor. He also suggested that casting a major star could have helped give the film a wider marketing reach.
“We have seen Ranbir in different roles; he is a very good actor. Personally, I don't have anything against him. I think they must have taken him for the project because they want a marketing push, and maybe if they didn't take Ranbir, the film wouldn't have been marketed so well, so that's also something to think about, but I personally believe that for such characters, it's better to take a new face,” he shared.
While questioning Ranbir's casting, Shiv had positive things to say about the other actors in the film. He particularly mentioned Yash, who plays Ravana, and Sai Pallavi, who plays Sita.
Shiv Sagar said, “You can take a very strong supporting cast, like Yash is looking very good, Sai Pallavi is looking very good, they don't have that much baggage. He has a lot of baggage. That's why we usually take a new face in our serials, so they don't have any baggage or history.”
Still, Shiv acknowledged that his opinion is only one view. According to him, the audience will ultimately decide whether Ranbir works as Lord Rama once the film reaches theatres.
Ramayana is directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra. The two-part film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash, Ravie Dubey and Sunny Deol. Arun Govil, who played Lord Rama in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan, will be seen as King Dashrath.
Part One is scheduled to release in theatres this November, while the second part is expected around Diwali 2027.