All eyes are currently on Prabhas’ Adipurush, which is set to be released on June 16th. However, another significant development occurred yesterday. Nitesh Tiwari, the director of Dangal, has planned to make Ramayan again. The pre-production work is in progress at present.
Another Ramayan for Bollywood
The industry has been buzzing in recent months with the news that Nitesh Tiwari’s ambitious film, Ramayana, was put on hold because of the producers’ unwillingness to find an actor to play the role of Raavan. Now, the latest we hear is that Ramayan is on track, with director Nitesh Tiwari planning to start shooting in December 2023.
According to Pinkvilla, a source revealed, “Over the last few weeks, Ranbir Kapoor has been spotted visiting the DNEG office, to check on the progress of Ramayana. The pre-visualization of the world has already been done and the team is now doing look tests with Ranbir to play Lord Ram. The purpose of the visit has been to get the right look for Ranbir on getting it right, he will then step into the physical transformation aspect.”
While Ranbir plays Lord Ram, Alia Bhatt has been cast as Sita in this Nitesh Tiwari epic, and an official announcement is expected this Diwali.
“Alia was the first choice for Ramayana, but back in the day, the dates couldn’t match due to multiple reasons. But with all the delays, Nitesh and producer Madhu Mantena have gotten back to their first choice and the actress is excited to play a character that could stay with her for a lifetime. Same for Ranbir, who is charged up for this new divine journey of Shri Ram,” the publication quoted.
Yash as Ravan
Previously there were reports that Nitesh Tiwari and Madhu Mantena are in talks with Yash to play the role of Raavan. The KGF star had previously said no to the role, but he is now ‘ready to sign on the dotted lines’ according to the reports. “Yash is yet to sign the dotted lines, but Madhu is confident to have Yash on board the film. There are some minor issues, and once they are resolved, Nitesh and Madhu would have things on paper with Yash,” the Pinkvilla sources shared.
Following the news, Yash fans are disappointed with this development. First and foremost, many are skeptical that their star Yash would agree to a multistarrer after delivering a pan-India blockbuster like KGF. They also do not want Yash to appear in another Ramayan adaptation, especially as Raavan. Yash has yet to formally sign the contract for the role of Raavan, but sources say he has verbally committed to the project.
“Everyone assumed that Yash was not doing Ramayana. But he is still in conversation and will probably do the film,“ added the source.
Meanwhile, Yash, who has achieved enormous success with the KGF franchise, is currently exploring a variety of film opportunities. He has also been rumored to be agreed to work on a film with director Geetu Mohandas.
