Nitesh Tiwari's 'Ramayana' went on floors without an official announcement. There has been no official confirmation of the cast as well. From the leaked set pics that went viral, it is confirmed that Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi are part of the magnum opus. The former is playing Lord Ram while Sai Pallavi will be seen as Goddess Sita. Earlier, leaked pics of Arun Govil and Lara Dutta also surfaced on social media. Govil who played Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar's 'Ramayan' is reportedly playing Dashrath in Tiwari's directorial.
Sunil Lahri who played Lakshman in Sagar's 'Ramayan' shared his view on Arun Govil playing Dashrath in Nitesh Tiwari's 'Ramayana'. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Lahri said, "He is crushing his own personality'' and added that if something like that was offered to him, he wouldn’t have done that. He further said, ''I really respect Arun, he is like an elder brother to me. For that matter, I wouldn’t have said yes to any other role either''.
On Ranbir playing Lord Ram, Sunil said that he liked the actor's look in leaked set pics but he is not sure whether the audience would accept him as Lord Ram or not.
Sunil said, ''I feel you should take someone that has no image or baggage. No doubt Ranbir is a great actor with a big legacy of his family and work he has done. I’m sure he will do justice, but again, it is the perception of people that you can’t change. He has to crush his earlier performances and come out with this.'' The actor also said that after doing a film like 'Animal', it will be difficult for people to see Kapoor in such an opposite role as Lord Ram.
As per reports, 'Ramayana' is made on a whopping budget of Rs 800 crore. The working title of the film is said to be 'God Power'.
