Ever since the Ramayana trailer was released, Ranbir Kapoor’s casting as Lord Rama has received mixed reactions from a section of the audience. Earlier, rumours were rife that Mahesh Babu was the makers’ first choice for the role. Putting the speculation to rest, director Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra have now confirmed that Ranbir was always their first and only choice to play Lord Rama.
Makers on casting for Ramayana
In an interview with Screen Rant during San Diego promotions, the makers were asked about the casting process. To this, Namit said, “For both of us, from the get-go, it was to see Lord Ram being essayed by Ranbir. It was a natural choice. He’s not an easy actor to cast. He is a big star, and who knows what he was doing back in the day. So, before we could go to option two or option three, it was like option one – ‘It is him… let’s see if we can get him.’ If he says no, then we’ll go to the next, but at least make sure that we give it our best shot.”
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“Option A, B, and C was Ranbir,” filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari said. Reacting to this, Ranbir Kapoor jokingly said that the makers didn’t have any other option now. As the interview went viral on social media, netizens pointed out that Mahesh Babu was the first choice for the role of Lord Rama.
More about Ramayana
During the panel discussion at the event, Ranbir Kapoor spoke about how he prepared to step into the role of Lord Rama. He shared, “To really understand the philosophy of Lord Rama deeply at this age and this point in my life was really important to embody this character. Understanding the teachings of Lord Rama was more important than the superficial transformation. I read a lot, met with a lot of scholars. I practised yoga for two years. I had a guru called Suvir, who used to sit and meditate with me for hours to get me really close to the teachings of Lord Rama.”
Earlier, Yash also praised Ranbir and said, “Nobody in this world can come and say, ‘I have the virtue to play Lord Rama.’ The fact that Ranbir himself said that speaks volumes about him. He is a fabulous actor.”
