Sadhguru Engages in Lively Debate on ‘Ramayana’ Casting with Producer Namit Malhotra

Ranbir Kapoor and Yash starrer 'Ramayana' has been in constant discussion. Everyone seems very excited about the film. The casting of the film is also always in the news. Now, spiritual guru Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has expressed surprise at Yash being cast as Ravana in the film.

Jagi Vasudev spoke with 'Ramayana' producer Namit Malhotra on the YouTube channel of Sadhguru and the World of Ramayana. During this, Jaggi Vasudev expressed surprise at Yash's casting as Ravana. During this, Namit Malhotra explained that when we were going through the process of creating this entire universe, I felt it was very important to choose this character. Actually, I was looking for who would be the ideal Raavan. Jaggi Vasudev replied, "I don't know how Yash became Raavan. I know him very well. A villain always means he has an ugly, less pointed nose and a very tall build. Whereas Yash is a handsome man."

Namit defended his statement, emphasizing that it was because we were looking for someone of almost superstar stature for the role. He is very handsome and a very talented star in the country, and is very well-liked. So our effort was to see how we could approach him. The idea was to have many versions of Raavan as he was.

However, Sadhguru told him that all villains always have blunt noses. He further said, "Have you noticed that villains always have blunt noses, not sharp ones?" Namit jokingly said, "This is a new learning experience for me. I'll go and see him."

The casting of Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram was also discussed. Sadhguru said, "It's not a fair decision, as he's acted in one way or another before. Tomorrow, he could play Ravana in another film. He's a professional actor. But at the same time, your film works because of the people, not the actors or directors. Therefore, their expectations can't be completely ignored. It's a very difficult expectation, but I think the actors and directors making 'Ramayana' should imbibe the qualities of Ram."

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, 'Ramayana' is based on the epic poem by sage Valmiki. Ranbir Kapoor plays Ram, Sai Pallavi plays Sita, Yash plays Ravana, and Sunny Deol plays Hanuman. The film also stars Vivek Oberoi, Rakul Preet Singh, Lara Dutta, Kajal Aggarwal, Ravi Dubey, Kunal Kapoor, Arun Govil, Sheeba Chaddha, and Indira Krishnan. "Ramayana" will be released in two parts. The first part will release on Diwali 2026, while the second part will release on Diwali 2027.