Nitesh Tiwari plans pan-India casting for magnum-opus Ramayana

Filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari needs no introduction. The humongous success of his films Dangal (2016) and Chhichhore (2019) has established him as one of the most successful filmmakers of the present times.

Tiwari is presently working on his most ambitious project, Ramayana. The director says that though he feels privileged to get the opportunity to make a film on Ramayana, it is challenging to tell the mythological tale on celluloid.

For the uninitiated, Nitesh is planning a trilogy on the popular Indian epic. To be produced by Madhu Mantena, the film will be shot in 3D. The multilingual film will enter theatres in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

"Ramayana is magical. It is something that we have not seen from an Indian maker. It has got a lot of magical qualities to it and the kind of forest we had, you had animals talking to us, this was something which is wonderful and it allows you to have the potential to present beautifully on screen a world that you have not seen before,” says the filmmaker, adding, “It is prep heavy film. It is very tough but gratifying if you can get it right, as you have the technology to do it.”

The filmmaker says that the challenge is to make the trilogy in a way that it appeals to kids as well as older generation. "What makes it challenging that how do you tell a story to a six-year-old and retain the faith of 60-year-old. That is why it is taking time. You have to strike a balance. My nine-year-old kid has to find it exciting’ they are fans of Avengers. At the same time, it needs to be exciting for my mother-in-law at a level where she would be like, ‘I have not seen Ramayana in this form’. It is a big challenge."

He says that Ramayana will be an entertaining film without being preachy. "When I say entertain, I don't mean to make people chuckle or laugh because that kind of stuff is not there in 'Ramayana'. But execution is also entertaining. The ultimate aim is to keep them glued to their seats."

Ever since Nitesh Tiwari revealed his plans to make a trilogy film on Ramayana, a number of actors from Bollywood have been linked with the project. When asked about the casting, the director says, "Casting will be tough but we have not thought of it yet. There will be a lot of actors, maybe we will go for pan-India casting."

The film hits the shooting floor by the end of the year.