Mukesh Khanna thinks Ranbir Kapoor cannot pull off Lord Ram in Ramayana

It`s no news that Ranbir Kapoor is all set to headline Nitesh Tiwari`s adaptation of the Ramayana. Ever since Ranbir`s association was announced, there have been multiple conversations and controversies regarding the casting of the 42-year-old actor. Amid the buzz, Mukesh Khanna has now hopped on the bus, voicing his hesitance about whether Ranbir Kapoor can pull off the role.

Mukesh Khanna is not sure if Ranbir Kapoor can pull off Ramayana

During a recent interview with Gallata India, Mukesh Khanna slammed Kapoor’s industry image, especially after his 2023 release Animal, expressing doubt that the actor could ‘pull it off.’ Talking of the film, Khanna said, "They’re showing Rama is climbing trees and shooting arrows. Krishna or Arjuna can do that, but Rama won’t do it. If Rama proclaimed himself a warrior, he would never ask monkeys to help him. He was enough, one man against Ravana."

Further commenting on Ranbir`s casting, he said, "From what I can see, I don’t know if Ranbir Kapoor can pull off the Maryada Purshottam 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."

Mukesh Chhabra on casting Ranbir Kapoor

Notably, Mukesh Chhabra, the casting director of Ramayana, in an earlier interview with Bollywood Bubble, had cleared his stance saying he was not involved with the casting of Ranbir. Chhabra said that the Animal actor had already been cast before things came to him. He said, "Woh pehle ho gaya. Pehle woh waala ho chuka tha. Yeh Ramayan mein ho gaya. Ramayan ek bahut badi picture hai, right? Kyunki uske liye bada star chahiye, itni badi film banane ke liye. But baaki sab discussions ka main hissa tha. (That happened earlier. It already happened before, in Ramayan. Ramayan is a very big film, right? Because for something like that, you need a big star to make such a grand movie. But I was part of all the other discussions.)"

Nitesh Tiwari`s Ramayana is expected to be a two-part spectacle, with part 1 releasing during Diwali 2022, followed by the second part during Diwali 2027. It is rumoured to be one of the biggest productions with a combined budget exceeding Rs 4,000 crore.