Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious projects ever made in Indian cinema. The film features Ranbir Kapoor in the lead role as Lord Rama. Now, turns out, the actor will also briefly appear as Lord Parshurama in the mythological saga. While the recently released teaser hinted at this dual role, there had been no confirmation until now.
In an interaction with Collider during the teaser launch event in Los Angeles, Ranbir shared that he used body language and voice modulations to bring Rama and Parshurama's different personalities to life. The actor said, “Lord Vishnu had different avatars. Lord Rama was an avatar and Lord Parshurama was an avatar before Lord Rama.”
He added, “Just to get the opportunity, you know, how I got to play Lord Rama, to also play Lord Parshurama was fantastic. I think as an actor, apart from body language, I think if you deeply understand the spirituality and the emotionality of the characters, I think everything starts from there. I think that's what I did the year leading up to the shoot of Ramayana, to understand who these people and characters are, what they stand for and what their motives are.”
Ranbir Officially Confirms He is Playing Bhagwan Parshuram!#Ramayana pic.twitter.com/n2WxVroeP0
— RK???? (@rksbunny) April 3, 2026
According to the epic, Lord Rama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, met Lord Parshurama, another incarnation of Lord Vishnu, on his way to Ayodhya after marrying Sita. Parshurama challenged Rama for breaking Shiva's bow at Sita's Swayamvara. When he recognised Rama as Vishnu's avatar, he backed down and avoided the fight.
The teaser gives a sneak peek of this moment, showing Ranbir as Lord Rama deflecting an axe attack from Lord Parshurama. In the background, Arun Govil as Dasharath and Ravi Dubey as Laxman are standing behind Rama.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana also features Yash as Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. The film is produced by Namit Malhotra. It is set to release in theatres on Diwali 2026, followed by a second part in Diwali 2027.
