Casting director Mukesh Chhabra: Ranbir Kapoor is perfect to play Lord Ram

In a recent interview, casting director Mukesh Chhabra, who has worked for Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming Ramayana adaptation, spoke about why actor Ranbir Kapoor was the perfect choice to pay Lord Ram. He also talked about the difficulties he faced while trying to get an actor to play Lakshman in the film, as no established actor was willing to play second-fiddle to Ranbir.

During a conversation at Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast, Mukesh said, “Nitesh bhai had decided to cast Ranbir very early in the process, and once you watch the film, you’ll see why it’s such apt casting. I think the actors I have worked with the most in my career are Ranbir and Rajkummar Rao. Nobody can beat Ranbir when it comes to acting.”

He added, “He seems to hate promotions. All he wants to do is act. I’ve observed him closely; I’ve watched his performance in Rockstar, in Tamasha, in Sanju, in Bombay Velvet… His biggest quality is that he seems effortless. With some actors, you see them putting in the extra effort in workshops, but when you see them on screen, you can’t tell. Ranbir doesn’t let anybody see the effort he’s putting into his performances.”

Mukesh also revealed that a “big name” has been locked in for the role of Hanuman, whereas a “newcomer from the television industry” will be essaying the role of Lakshman. “It was the last role we cast. We’ve chosen a young actor who has worked a lot in television; he’s a lovely guy. We couldn’t have found a better Lakshman. I am very happy that the people we’d initially approached all said no. Two or three people said no, because they think that Ram and Lakshman will always have to be together,” he said.

Although other details are under wraps, Sai Pallavi is going to play the role of Sita in the film.