'Ranbir Kapoor Ki Aankhon Mein Shri Ram Dikhe': Nitesh Tiwari Reveals Why He Cast Actor In Ramayana

A select audience gathered at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi today for a preview screening of Ramayana, the two-part mythological epic from director Nitesh Tiwari. The film’s full trailer is still set for a worldwide release on July 24, but today’s Delhi event gave an invited crowd, and the film’s director, a chance to speak on record for the first time about the casting that’s been debated since it was first announced.

Why Nitesh Tiwari Cast Ranbir Kapoor And Sai Pallavi

Nitesh Tiwari opened up on why he chose Ranbir Kapoor as Shri Ram and Sai Pallavi as Sita Mata. Speaking at the event, he said, “Ek kalakaar ki aankhen sach bol deti hain. Aur mujhe hamesha se yeh laga ki Ranbir ki aankhon mein mujhe Shri Ram dikhai diye. Aur Sai ki aankhon mein mujhe Sita Mata dikhai diin.

Matlab, apart from both of them being extremely brilliant and extremely talented, I just felt that the kind of sincerity I was looking for, the kind of preparation I wanted the characters to go through to play such important roles, I could have found only in these two beautiful souls. And I am so happy. I can’t tell you. Jab aap log film dekhne aayenge… mujhe Sai nahin dikhai deti. Mujhe Sita Mata dikhai deti hain. Mujhe Ranbir nahin dikhte, mujhe Shri Ram dikhai dete hain wahan par, kyunki inki aankhon mein mujhe sachchai dikhai deti hai. To wahi un logon ne poori koshish ki hai parde par utaarne ki.”

Read More: Ranbir Kapoor Tells Arun Govil ‘We Love You Like Our Own’; Sai Pallavi Says Sita ‘Chose’ Her

About Ramayana, The Film

Ramayana is director Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part adaptation of the ancient Indian epic, produced by Namit Malhotra, founder of Prime Focus and global CEO of DNEG. The film traces Shri Ram’s journey as the prince of Ayodhya through his exile and his battle against Ravana. It is reportedly made on a budget of a whopping Rs 4,000 crore, with Part 1 releasing in theatres on Diwali 2026 and Part 2 following on Diwali 2027. The score is composed by A.R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer, marking Zimmer’s first Indian film. Both parts have been shot for IMAX screens.

Ramayana Film Cast

Ranbir Kapoor plays Shri Ram, and also takes on a second role as Lord Parshuram. Sai Pallavi plays Sita Mata. Yash plays Ravana, Sunny Deol plays Hanuman, and Ravie Dubey plays Lakshman. The ensemble also includes Kajal Aggarwal as Mandodari, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Arun Govil as Dashrath, Rakul Preet Singh as Surpanakha, and Amitabh Bachchan lending his voice to Jatayu.