Ranbir Kapoor pictured at an event. (courtesy: ranbir__kapoor82)
Ramanand Sagar is best known for the epic mythological TV show Ramayan. The series featured Arun Govil, Deepika Chikhalia, Sunil Lahri, and Arvind Trivedi. Ramanand Sagar's grandson, filmmaker Amrit Sagar, recently spoke about Ranbir Kapoor's upcoming film Ramayana. In a conversation with indianexpress.com, Amrit was asked to share his views on the Nitesh Tiwari directorial. In response, he said, “I feel that Ramayan should be made by everybody, why not? Nobody has a copyright on Ramayan. My only thing with that is do it honestly. Don't try and make the Ramayan like, ‘Now I will make the Ramayan through this person's perspective, or that person's perspective.' Ramayan is not that. It is the story of Ram, that is why it is titled Ramayan.”
Amrit Sagar added, “Ramleelas have been happening in this country for centuries. And they follow the story completely.” Ramanand Sagar died at the age of 87 in December 2005.
A few days ago, Sunil Lahri, who played the role of Lakshman in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan, spoke about how people might not accept Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama. In an interview with Hindustan Times, he shared, “From the poster, I liked his look. It's very nice and since he's so smart, he will look perfect in that role. But I don't know how much people will accept him as Ram. I feel that you should take someone that has no image or baggage. It works better. No doubt Ranbir is a great actor with a big legacy of his family and work he has done. I'm sure he will do justice, but again, it is the perception of people that you can't change.”
Comparing the upcoming film with Ranbir Kapoor's Animal, Sunil Lahri added, “He has to crush his earlier performances and come out with this. And especially, after doing something like Animal recently, it will be very difficult for people to see him in such an opposite role as Lord Ram.”
Arun Govil, who portrayed the role of Lord Rama in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan, will be seen as King Dasharatha in Nitesh Tiwari's film. Sai Pallavi, Yash, Sunny Deol and Lara Dutta will also be seen playing pivotal roles.