Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Animal’ past haunts his Rama role, Ramanand Sagar’s grandson takes a dig

Highlights

• Ramanand Sagar’s grandson Shiv Sagar says he cannot accept Ranbir Kapoor as Rama after watching him in Animal.
• He argues that a fresh face would have been better suited to the revered role.
• Shiv Sagar praises Yash and Sai Pallavi while saying Ranbir comes with “a lot of baggage”.
• He suggests Ranbir’s casting may have been driven partly by the film’s marketing appeal.

Ranbir Kapoor’s casting as Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana has drawn fresh scrutiny, this time from the grandson of legendary filmmaker Ramanand Sagar, whose television adaptation of the Hindu epic remains one of the most recognised versions of the story.

With Ramayana: Part 1 set to arrive in November, Shiv Sagar has questioned whether Kapoor was the right choice to play the revered figure, pointing specifically to his previous roles, including the controversial character he portrayed in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal.

‘After Animal, I cannot accept him as Rama’

Shiv Sagar, a producer-director and the grandson of Ramanand Sagar, said he personally finds it difficult to accept Kapoor as Rama because of the actor’s screen history.

“Except for that one casting, I like the rest of the casting very much. Personally, I cannot accept Ranbir Kapoor as Rama because… after Animal, I cannot accept him as Rama,” he told ANI.

Sagar argued that a fresh face would have been better suited to the role, saying Kapoor has “a lot of baggage” from his previous characters.

Why he thinks a fresh face would have worked

Sagar praised several other members of the cast, including Yash as Ravana and Sai Pallavi as Sita, saying they do not carry the same level of “baggage” for audiences.

He also stressed that his comments were not a personal attack on Kapoor. Calling him a “very good actor”, Sagar suggested that the decision may have been influenced by the star’s commercial and marketing appeal.

“I think they must have taken him for the project because they want a marketing push,” he said. Sagar also questioned whether audiences would be able to separate Kapoor’s previous characters from his portrayal of Rama.

“Because after Ramayana, will he be accepted again in a film like Animal?” he asked, adding that audiences can be particularly sensitive when it comes to Rama and the Ramayana.

He further argued that the epic should not simply be viewed as mythology, saying that Rama is part of India’s history and is worshipped by people every day.

Ramayana heads for a Diwali release

Despite his reservations about Kapoor’s casting, Sagar said the public will ultimately have the final say.

The film stars Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. Produced by Namit Malhotra and Yash, Ramayana features music by Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman.

Ramayana: Part 1 is scheduled to release worldwide in November, around Diwali.