Dipika Chikhalia, who famously played Sita in Ramanand Sagar‘s ‘Ramayan’, has defended Ranbir Kapoor‘s casting as Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari‘s ‘Ramayana‘, hours after Nitish Bharadwaj urged the actor to avoid films like ‘Animal’ going forward. The debate picked up pace on social media after a section of internet users questioned Ranbir’s casting following the trailer’s release.
Dipika Chikhalia defends Ranbir Kapoor’s casting
Reacting to the ongoing discussion, Dipika Chikhalia told Hindi Rush, “We are actors. We haven’t come from above. As actors, we get the opportunity to play different kinds of characters, and that’s the biggest thing.”She further added, “If someone can do ‘Barfi!’, they can do ‘Animal’. And if they can do ‘Animal’, they can also play Ram. Just imagine how fortunate he is to get such a wide variety of roles. He is very lucky, and it’s wonderful that he is doing it.”
Nitish Bharadwaj’s advice to Ranbir Kapoor
Earlier, Nitish Bharadwaj, best known for playing Lord Krishna in B.R. Chopra’s ‘Mahabharat’, had urged Ranbir to embrace a sense of responsibility towards Indian culture going forward.“RK, always loved you as an actor, but now start your social responsibility to uphold Bharat’s heritage, values, culture & ethos. So no more ‘Animal’ even if the goldmine is offered to you. Plz do not pollute your Vaani anymore. Bharat has enough stories to satiate your acting prowess,” he wrote.
About ‘Ramayana’s massive scale
‘Ramayana’ has reportedly been mounted on a staggering budget of Rs 4,000 crore. Speaking to Prakhar Gupta, producer Namit Malhotra revealed, “When we set out to make this six or seven years ago, people thought I was a lunatic because no Indian film comes close to this scale. Put simply, the budget will be around USD 500 million for both parts combined, which is over Rs 4,000 crore.”He further explained the ambition behind the project, saying, “We’re making the largest film in the world for the greatest epic that deserves to be seen globally. And yet, I believe we’re doing it more efficiently than some of the biggest Hollywood films. We’re not being irresponsible – we’re being ambitious but grounded.”Adding to the film’s grand scale, composers AR Rahman and Oscar-winning Hans Zimmer have collaborated for the first time on this project.The film will release in two parts, with the first instalment hitting theatres worldwide in October 2026 ahead of Diwali, while the second part is slated for a Diwali 2027 release.
