The first glimpse of Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama was unveiled earlier this year with the teaser of Nitesh Tiwari’s much-anticipated Ramayana. While the reveal generated significant buzz, it also sparked a debate, as many people were not convinced of Ranbir’s casting as Lord Rama. Now, Arun Govil, who famously played Lord Rama in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, has reacted to the backlash.
Arun Govil on backlash
In a recent interview with Variety India, Arun addressed the criticism surrounding Ranbir’s casting as Lord Rama, saying that his portrayal had become a benchmark over the years and that audiences are often reluctant to embrace change.
Talking about the backlash, Arun said, “That perhaps is also because my performance as Lord Rama became the touchstone. It is still alive in the hearts and minds of people. Nobody wants to see another Rama. You know, my Ramayan keeps playing somewhere or the other at any given time. Even today in North and Central India, whenever there are melas and tamashas (plays) and photos of Rama are sold, they have my face on them. So, for me, to talk about an actor’s performance as Lord Rama doesn’t feel right.”
When asked about Ranbir Kapoor’s Lord Rama avatar, Arun mentioned, “As Rama, I won’t be able to tell you anything about him, but he is a good actor, there is no doubt about that. He is also a fine human being. As I said earlier, every actor pursues every character in their own way. And he must have played Lord Rama in his own unique way.“
Arun Govil played Lord Rama in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, which aired on Doordarshan from 1987-88, and remains India’s most-watched TV series. The cultural footprint of the show is so immense that Arun Govil and Dipika Chikhlia (who played Sita) were worshipped by viewers.
More about Ramayana
Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana is a two-part film starring Ranbir as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana. Arun Govil, who became a national icon with his portrayal of Lord Rama over three decades ago, is also in the film, playing King Dashrath this time.
Ramayana is a two-part film mounted on a massive budget of ₹4000 crore, making it the most expensive Indian film ever made, and one of the costliest film productions worldwide. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Yash as Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman, and Ravie Dubey as Lakhsman. The Rama glimpse focused only on Lord Rama but also gave fleeting glimpses at other characters, including Lakshman and Sita. The teaser also showed Yash’s Ravana getting out his fabled flying machine, Pushpak Vimana, at the end.
Ramayana Part One, produced by Namit Malhotra, is slated to release in theatres in October 2026, with the second part arriving in 2027.