Writer and lyricist Varun Grover has hit out at the lead actors of Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Ramayan’ for the way they have spoken about Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’. Since the film was announced, stars of the old television show, such as Sunil Lahri and Dipika Chikhlia, have shared opinions on its casting, costumes and creative choices.
Varun Grover’s post on X
Varun Grover used X (earlier known as Twitter) to share his thoughts on the matter. He wrote, “Actors from Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana commenting on the new film with the entitlement as if they are actual avatars.”
Dipika Chikhlia’s earlier doubts about Sai Pallavi
In July, before the film reached theatres, Dipika Chikhlia, who played Sita in the TV series, spoke to Variety India. She had some reservations about Sai Pallavi playing the role, though she admired the actor’s skills.She also felt that the huge popularity of the old serial could become a burden for the new film. She said, “I have seen her work. She’s a phenomenal actor. But I don’t know how she’ll look like, Sita. Once we see her, we’ll know. Sitaji with curly hair is not mentioned in Ramayan. I think our Ramayan will weigh very heavily on the Ramayana film. Our Ramayan was also watched by the new generation when it aired on Doordarshan during the pandemic. So, it’s very difficult to erase that.”
Dipika Chikhlia’s change of tone after the release
Her tone has softened since the film opened. While talking to the paparazzi recently, Dipika Chikhlia said she had expected the film to do well. Speaking about its earnings, she said, “See, I told you right that the film is well-made and is bound to be a hit. It has so many big stars. See how it crossed 900-1000 crore in just 4-5 days. Superb. The movie is good, and so many big stars and VFX – all of it is so beautiful.”
Sunil Lahri’s mixed review
Sunil Lahri, who played Lakshman in the old series, put out a video review of the new film. His response was a mix of praise and criticism. He liked the visual effects, the look of the film and the acting, but felt that the sense of devotion and divinity linked to the epic was missing.He named a few scenes that he thought could have been better handled, such as the Parashurama episode. He also noted that the Ahalya episode was absent. In addition, he was not happy with the way Shurpanakha and Sita speak to Lord Ram on screen.He said, “I did not like the way Shurpanakha addresses Lord Ram during their conversation. The way Sita Ji addresses Lord Ram also did not feel appropriate to me. There are several other sequences that I felt were weak and lacked the devotional sentiment and divine essence that are integral to the story of the Ramayana.”In the post that carried his video, Sunil described the viewing as a bittersweet experience. Even so, he urged people to go to the theatres and make up their own minds.
More about ‘Ramayana’
Nitesh Tiwari directs ‘Ramayana’, which is the first chapter of a two-part retelling of the Hindu epic. Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi is Sita, Yash plays Ravana, and Ravie Dubey appears as Lakshman. Arun Govil, who became a household name as Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s television series, plays King Dashrath this time.The film arrived in cinemas across the world on November 5, 2026.