The promotional material released so far has received mixed reactions, with some viewers criticising Ranbir Kapoor ‘s casting as Lord Rama. Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana is one of the most-awaited films of the year. Now, Mukesh Khanna has also criticised the portrayal of Lord Rama in the film, saying that the character has been presented more as a man of action than as Maryada Purushottam.
Mounted on a reported budget of ₹ 4,000 crore, the film will release in two parts, with the first part arriving in theatres on Diwali 2026 and the second on Diwali 2027. In a conversation with Bollywood Now on its YouTube channel, Mukesh spoke about what bothered him after watching the Ramayana trailer. If he fought this way, then why would he have needed the help of the Vanar Sena? The Shaktimaan actor also expressed his concerns about the film’s VFX. Lekin India mein India ki aastha ke hisaab se honi chahiye. Hum special effects nahi dekhenge (It may do well commercially. But in India, it should be made keeping Indian faith and beliefs in mind. We will not be looking at the special effects). Helmed by Nitesh Tiwari and backed by Namit Malhotra and Yash , the mythological epic stars Ranbir Kapoor in dual roles as Lord Rama and Lord Parshurama. The film also stars Sunny Deol, Yash, Sai Pallavi, Ravie Dubey, Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, Rakul Preet Singh, Vivek Oberoi and others in key roles.
He criticised the film’s portrayal of Sri Ram, saying that the character had been turned into “Dhurandhar”. He acknowledged Shri Ram as a powerful divine figure and an avatar of God, but said the fight sequence shown in the film was not in keeping with his depiction in the Ramayan. He specifically objected to the scene showing Shri Ram climbing a tree and shooting arrows, noting that such a sequence has not been seen in the Ramayana Mukesh further said, “If you portray Shri Ram more as a man of action than as Maryada Purushottam, and turn him into Clint Eastwood, I might feel that Lord Ram did not fight like this. He said that while heavy use of special effects might help a film perform internationally, Indian audiences would view it through the lens of their faith and cultural understanding of Lord Ram. He said, “They would compare it with Star Wars aur shayad kama legi.
