Mukesh Khanna criticizes warrior-like depiction of Lord Ram in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, asks if Ranbir Kapoor is fit for the role

Mukesh Khanna criticises Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana teaser

Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor is gearing up to portray Lord Ram in the highly anticipated Ramayana, directed by Nitesh Tiwari. The makers have recently shared the first glimpse of the upcoming film, and it seems like Mukesh Khanna, who played Bhishma Pitamah in BR Chopra’s iconic television series Mahabharat, has his doubts about Ranbir.

In a recent interview with Galatta India, Mukesh shared that he wanted to share a reaction video to the Ramayana teaser, which featured Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram climbing a tree and shooting an arrow, but his team stopped him, believing it was only AI-generated and not real.

Later, upon learning that the scene was indeed part of the official teaser, he was asked to comment on Ranbir playing Lord Ram despite previously admitting to eating beef. Mukesh declined to react, saying that Ranbir might have even stopped eating it by now.

Mukesh Khanna shared his objection about Ranbir portraying Lord Ram’s Maryada Purushottam image. He said, “Ched chaad karoge toh phasoge. Aap Ram ko yodha bata rahe ho, vo Maryada Purushottam the (If you tease or provoke, you’ll get into trouble. You are calling Ram a warrior, but he was the Maryada Purushottam — the ideal man).”

He added, “They’re showing Lord Ram climbing trees and shooting arrows. Krishna or Arjuna can do that, but Rama wouldn’t do it. If Rama proclaimed himself as a warrior, he would never ask monkeys to help him. He was enough, one man against Ravana.”

He further suggested, “From what I can see, I don’t know if Ranbir Kapoor can pull off the Maryada Purushottam image of Rama. He’s a good actor, but he has an image chasing him — and that’s Animal. I don’t have an objection to it. He could do it. But I think agar aapne Rama ko Yodha Rama bataya, toh log accept nahi kar paayenge. Iske upar gadbad ho sakti hai (If you show Lord Rama as a warrior, then people will not accept it. This can create a problem).”

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For the unversed, Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana features an ensemble cast including Yash as Ravana, Sunny Deol as Hanuman, and Arun Govil, who is best known for playing Lord Rama on the Doordarshan show Ramayan, has also joined the cast as Raja Dashrath. Actor Indira Krishnan is set to portray Lord Ram’s mother, Rani Kaushalya. Sai Pallavi as Sita and Ravie Dubey as Lord Ram’s brother Laxman.

Ranbir Kapoor’s Ramayana is set to hit the theatres in two parts, with the first instalment scheduled to be released on Diwali 2026. However, Ramayana: Part 2 is slated for Diwali 2027 release.