‘Nobody wants to see another Ram’: Arun Govil speaks on backlash over Ranbir Kapoor's ‘Ramayana’, calls him 'good actor'

Among the most eagerly awaited films of the year is the ambitious ‘Ramayana’, helmed by director Nitesh Tiwari and led by Ranbir Kapoor in the titular role of Lord Rama. Sai Pallavi plays Sita while Yash steps into the formidable role of Ravana. Adding a special touch to the project is the casting of veteran actor Arun Govil, who is forever etched in the hearts of millions of Indians for his legendary portrayal of Lord Rama in Ramanand Sagar's iconic television series Ramayan. In this grand cinematic retelling, Govil will be seen in the role of King Dasharath, the father of Lord Rama.

Arun Govil praises Ranbir Kapoor but holds back on his performance

In a recent chat with Variety India, Govil opened up about Ranbir taking on the monumental responsibility of portraying Lord Rama on the big screen. While he chose to hold back his thoughts on Ranbir's actual performance until the film is out, he made it clear that he has full faith in the actor's capabilities. "As Rama, I won't be able to tell you anything about him, but he is a good actor, there is no doubt about that. He is also a fine human being. As I said earlier, every actor pursues every character in their own way. And he must have played Lord Rama in his own unique way," he said.

Arun Govil explains why comparisons with Ranbir Kapoor's Rama are inevitable

When asked about the backlash Ranbir faced after the film's first look was revealed, Govil reflected thoughtfully on why such comparisons are perhaps inevitable. "That perhaps is also because my performance as Lord Rama became the touchstone. It is still alive in the hearts and minds of people. Nobody wants to see another Rama. You know, my Ramayan keeps playing somewhere or the other at any given time. Even today in North and Central India, whenever there are melas and tamashas and photos of Rama are sold, they have my face on them. So, for me, to talk about an actor's performance as Lord Rama doesn't feel right," he said.

Ranbir Kapoor to play both Lord Rama and Lord Parshurama in the film

In an exciting revelation, Ranbir disclosed that his role in the film goes beyond just portraying Lord Rama, as he will also be seen as Lord Parshurama. Speaking to Collider at the film's teaser launch in Los Angeles, the actor shed light on how he prepared himself to take on the challenge of playing two different incarnations of Lord Vishnu. "Lord Vishnu had different avatars. Lord Rama was an avatar, and Lord Parshurama was an avatar before Lord Rama," he explained. Opening up about his approach to the dual role, Ranbir said: "Just to get the opportunity, you know, how I got to play Lord Rama, to also play Lord Parshurama was fantastic. I think as an actor, apart from body language, I think if you deeply understand the spirituality and the emotionality of the characters, I think everything starts from there. I think that's what I did the year leading up to the shoot of Ramayana, to understand who these people and characters are, what they stand for and what their motives are."

‘Ramayana’ set for a grand Diwali 2026 release

The much-awaited ‘Ramayana’ is all set to hit the big screens during Diwali 2026. The grand cinematic spectacle is helmed by Nitesh Tiwari and backed by producer Namit Malhotra.