Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor will be seen playing Lord Ram in Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming Ramayana. The first teaser (released in July) showed him in the iconic role and received strong reactions from fans. However, veteran actor Mukesh Khanna (known for playing Bhishma Pitamah in Mahabharat) is not convinced that Ranbir can truly capture the “Maryada Purushottam” image of Lord Ram.
Mukesh Khanna’s Concerns About Ranbir Kapoor As Lord Ram
In a chat with Galatta India, Mukesh Khanna revealed he almost posted a reaction video to the teaser. In the clip, Ranbir is seen climbing a tree and shooting an arrow. His team stopped him, telling him it might be AI-generated. When he learned it was indeed in the official teaser, Mukesh was asked to comment on Ranbir’s casting. Some reminded him of Ranbir’s earlier admission to eating beef, but Mukesh chose not to judge and replied, “He might have even quit eating it by now.”
Still, he raised a creative concern. He said, “Ched chaad karoge toh phasoge. Aap Ram ko yodha bata rahe ho, vo Maryada Purushottam the.” He explained that Lord Ram is often shown as the ideal man, not a warrior like Arjuna or Krishna.
Mukesh added, “They’re showing Lord Ram climbing trees and shooting arrows. If Rama proclaimed himself as a warrior, he would never ask monkeys to help him. He was enough, one man against Ravana.”
Mukesh believes Ranbir faces a challenge because of his recent Animal image. He shared, “From what I can see, I don’t know if Ranbir Kapoor can pull off the Maryada Purushottam image of Rama. He’s a good actor, but he has an image chasing him, and that’s Animal.”
He also warned, “Agar aapne Rama ko Yodha Rama bataya, toh log accept nahi kar paayenge. Iske upar gadbad ho sakti hai.”
About Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra, Ramayana features Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ravie Subey as Lakshman, Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman, and Yash as Ravana. The film will be released in two parts, one on Diwali 2026 and the other on Diwali 2027.
The teaser has been praised for its VFX, with fans calling it more impressive than Adipurush. However, Namit’s claims regarding the film’s Rs 4000 cr budget have made major headlines with many calling his statement “exaggerated.”
