Ranbir Kapoor’s first look as Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana was unveiled in the ‘Rama glimpse’ on Thursday. While the internet has had a field day with discussions and debates about the actor’s suitability for the role and dissection of the first look, Sujay Reu, the actor who most recently played Lord Rama on TV, is convinced of the look. Sujay, who played Lord Rama in Shrimad Ramayan, talks to HT exclusively about Ranbir’s look and the teaser, and offers a word of advice to the audience.
Sujay played Lord Rama in Shrimad Ramayan, which aired from 2024 to 2025. The actor earned praise for his portrayal of the deity, who has been played by NT Rama Rao, Arun Govil, and MG Ramachandran in the past. But he believes that Nitesh Tiwari’s “Ramayana film will finally strike a chord with the audience.”
Sujay admits that while television has produced some amazing adaptations of Valmiki’s Ramayana, the Hindi film industry has not delivered a definitive big-screen adaptation. Talking about that, Sujay says, “The only reason I could think of was that authenticity was missing. Viewers are emotionally connected with Ramayana and Ramji. Just the authenticity and divinity were missing, otherwise our movies have all the resources and VFX.”
TV’s Rama Sujay Reu praises Ranbir Kapoor
Sujay says he is particularly impressed with how Ranbir Kapoor carried himself in the trailer. “He really looked the part,” says the actor, “The divinity and the innocence were there, as was the right warrior look of Shri Ram. We normally do not associate Ramji with a warrior avatar, since he is innocent and divine, but in the teaser, Ranbir had the aura of Lord Rama. We saw him in both looks – the regal avatar as well as the vanvaas look. He looked really good in both.”
Ever since the teaser dropped, the audience has been quick to react, both praising and criticising. But Sujay says the viewers should be patient and keep an open mind. “Don’t try to keep anyone in mind. I know it’s very difficult because even when I was doing Shrimad Ramayana, there was a comparison with Arun Govil ji. How can you compare anyone with him, because he is the poster boy Rama. It’s impossible to match up to his level because that Ramayana is a part of our culture,” he says, while cautioning the viewers against comparing the film with Ramanand Sagar’s iconic TV series, Ramayan. The TV show, which aired from 1987 to 1988, remains the most popular and acclaimed adaptation of the epic.
Sujay feels the film ‘should do well’. He elaborates, “The amount of hard work they have put shows in the teaser. The only advice to the audience is to give this Ramayana an opportunity.”
All about the Ramayana film
Ramayana is a two-part film mounted on a massive budget of ₹4000 crore, making it the most expensive Indian film ever made, and one of the costliest film productions worldwide. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Yash as Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman, and Ravie Dubey as Lakhsman. Produced by Namit Malhotra, Ramayana Part One is slated to release in theatres in October 2026, with the second part arriving in 2027.
