Ranbir Kapoor’s Ramayana Casting Debate Gets a Nuanced Response From Ramanand Sagar’s Grandson Shiv Sagar

The Celebrity Hour Desk

Ranbir Kapoor’s transformation from the volatile Ranvijay Singh of Animal to Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana has inevitably become part of the conversation surrounding one of Indian cinema’s most ambitious upcoming films.

Shiv Sagar, grandson of Ramayan creator Ramanand Sagar, has now offered a measured perspective on that casting choice. While he expressed reservations about the screen image an established star carries into an iconic role, his larger assessment of the upcoming film was positive.

Speaking in an interview with Bollywood Hungama following the release of the Ramayana trailer, Shiv said he generally comes from a school of thought that favours casting relatively fresh faces for characters of this nature, allowing audiences to see the character rather than the actor's previous screen image.

In Ranbir’s case, Shiv specifically pointed to the perception audiences may have formed after Animal. However, he did not dismiss the actor's casting. Instead, he said he hoped Ranbir would be accepted as Rama and wished him well in the role.

That distinction is important: Shiv’s comments were not a rejection of Ranbir as Rama, but an observation about the challenge of moving between two dramatically different screen personas.

Shiv Sagar praises the larger Ramayana ensemble

Shiv’s assessment of the trailer itself was considerably more enthusiastic.

He told Bollywood Hungama that he was impressed by the ensemble and the scale presented in the trailer. He particularly praised Yash as Ravana and felt Sai Pallavi suited the role of Sita.

His reaction comes as the filmmakers move into the final promotional stretch for Ramayana: Part One.

Prime Focus Studios officially unveiled the film’s trailer on July 30, describing the project as an attempt to take the epic to audiences around the world. The production is directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Prime Focus Studios in association with DNEG and Monster Mind Creations.

The officially confirmed principal cast includes Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana.

Ranbir Kapoor has addressed the responsibility of playing Rama

Ranbir himself has approached the role publicly in terms of responsibility rather than simply transformation.

When Prime Focus Studios unveiled his first dedicated look as Rama in April, the actor said he viewed the process as an opportunity to learn from the character. He spoke about trying to understand Rama's simplicity and purity and described that process as deeply humbling.

Director Nitesh Tiwari has similarly stressed that the production's approach is centred on honesty, authenticity and reverence for the source material.

Those comments give useful context to the debate around Ranbir’s previous roles. The filmmakers appear conscious that Ramayana will be judged not simply as another star vehicle but as an adaptation of a story with deep cultural and religious significance.

The shadow of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan remains

Any major screen adaptation of the epic also faces another challenge: decades of comparison with Ramanand Sagar’s landmark television series.

First broadcast in 1987, Ramayan made Arun Govil's portrayal of Rama deeply associated with the character for generations of viewers. The connection between that production and the new film is particularly visible because Govil has now been cast as King Dasharatha.

Shiv described that casting choice as a smart way of paying tribute to his grandfather and the television classic.

The new production, however, is being mounted on an entirely different technological and international scale. Prime Focus Studios says Ramayana is planned as a two-part cinematic franchise. The production also brings together A.R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer for its music, while Sony Pictures is handling international distribution and Dharma Productions is distributing the film across North India's Hindi-speaking markets.

The Celebrity Hour Take

The more interesting question surrounding Ranbir Kapoor's casting is not whether an actor who played a morally complicated character in Animal is somehow disqualified from portraying Rama. Actors routinely move between radically different characters; versatility is fundamental to the profession.

The challenge is one of audience perception.

When an actor reaches Ranbir Kapoor's level of recognition, viewers enter a film carrying memories of his previous performances. Playing Rama therefore requires the new performance to become strong enough that the star's existing image recedes behind the character.

That is essentially where Shiv Sagar's comments become relevant. His preference for a fresh face reflects one traditional approach to mythological casting, while Ramayana is attempting something different: combining internationally recognisable production scale with some of Indian cinema's biggest stars.

Whether Ranbir succeeds will ultimately depend less on Animal and more on whether his performance, Nitesh Tiwari's direction and the film's storytelling allow audiences to believe in the Rama presented on screen.