Mahesh Babu turns down Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone’s Ramayana

A couple of weeks ago, rumours were swirling around that producer Madhu Mantena was on the verge of signing Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu alongside Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone in his much-awaited magnum-opus Ramayana 3D. The latest we hear that Babu has turned down the offer to headline the film which has Dangal (2016) and Chhichhore (2019) fame Nitesh Tiwari onboard as director.

A well-placed source informs an entertainment publication that the actor has chosen acclaimed filmmaker SS Rajamouli’s next directorial venture over Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone’s film.

“Madhu and Nitesh are looking to shoot for Ramayana from mid-2022 and the dates coincide with the biggest filmmaker of India, SS Rajamouli's next. It was an obvious choice for Mahesh to choose Rajamouli over the rendition of Ramayana,” divulged the source.

Reportedly, Hrithik Roshan has been roped in to play Raavan in the high-profile project, while Deepika Padukone will step into the character of Sita. With Mahesh Babu rejecting the offer, the makers now have no other option but to begin the hunt for another actor to portray Ram on celluloid again. It will be really interesting to see who finally bags the plum role.

Before commencing work on Ramayana 3D, Hrithik Roshan will wrap up all the projects that he has signed so far. These include the official remake of the superhit Tamil film Vikram Vedha (2017), the Hindi adaptation of the British television series Night Manager, and Siddharth Anand’s actioner Fighter. The adaptation of Night Manager will mark his foray into the digital world.

Deepika Padukone, on the other hand, too has several interesting projects on her platter. While she has already completed Dharma Productions next untitled film with director Shakun Batra and is currently busy with Yash Raj Films’ Pathan, her other projects include The Intern, Fighter, Draupadi and an untitled film with Telugu filmmaker Nag Ashwin, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan and Prabhas.

Meanwhile, SS Rajamouli’s next after RRR is an African jungle adventure with Mahesh Babu, which will be written by KV Vijayendra Prasad. The film is expected to get off the ground in 2022. More details are awaited.