Ramayana is one of the most eagerly awaited and ambitious films in Indian cinema now that Nitesh Tiwari has directed it. With an estimated budget of over 50 million and scheduled for a big theatrical release on Diwali 2026, the two-part epic has a huge ensemble cast of actors with Ranbir Kapoor playing Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi playing Sita, and Yash playing Ravana. But as there is a lot of talk about how big it is and its state-of-the-art visual effects, the film has been in the news and it's been the subject of a lot of debate lately with the most recent criticism from actress Nikita Rawal, for the casting of the actors and the cultural sensitivity of mythological adaptation and its importance.
There was much heated debate in the social media space when Nikita Rawal voiced her opinion on who chosen divine actors and why in an interview with Bollywood Mascot. She was deeply upset with Maryada Purushottam Lord Ram and said that to portray such a figure so closely and spiritually significant one requires a deep feeling of reverence which goes beyond the acting. Rawal went on to call for Ranbir Kapoor to apologize and take back a controversial comment that he made about himself being a "beef-eating guy" and say that the actors who have been cast as a divine being would have to be culturally sensitive. She also appealed to her viewers to boycott Ranbir Kapoor for three days until he has made a statement.
The reason for all of this is the 2011 promotional food interview in which Ranbir Kapoor discussed his culinary preferences with food writer Kunal Vijayakar and spoke about his family’s Peshawari roots in detail. In the interview, he said he loves red meat, and that he likes mutton, paya, and beef. The video clip has since been unearthed and has fueled debate online over whether an actor’s personal lifestyle choices and past statements should be taken into account for portraying sacred religious figures on the silver screen.
The online community is split very vehemently. Both the critics and traditionalist audience believe that divine actors should maintain a clean picture in public and in line with the character. Ranbir Kapoor supporters, on the other hand, keep the individual life of the actor separate from the professional job. Acting is about playing a variety of characters and the final judgment should be on the actor’s performance. And the huge faith in director Nitesh Tiwari is that the movie is sticking to the original epic and not making any unnecessary modernizations.
Despite the harsh criticism and debates, Ranbir Kapoor openly acknowledged that the role of Lord Ram is one of the highest and most humbling to him and has been the biggest and most difficult for him since his career started. The creative team of the story team has taken the epic very seriously and never made any artistic liberties in the process, he has always assured his fans, he said. When looking at the magnitude of the text, he said that to make it into such a large story in a two-part form was a huge challenge and the epic is big enough to run for ten movies.
This debate around Ramayana is emblematic of the common reality in Indian cinema: major mythological adaptations are constantly being questioned and the casting, as well as creative interpretation, is a matter of debate. The film is on its way to being released on Diwali 2026 in India, and the topic of respectful translation of sacred texts for contemporary global audiences is still in play.
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