Ravie Dubey reaffirms Ranbir Kapoor is ‘simply the best’ amid criticism over his Lord Rama casting in Ramayana | Bollywood

Ever since the first teaser of Ramayana was released, there has been a lot of debate around Ranbir Kapoor's casting as Lord Rama. While many feel he is a misfit and not convincing as Lord Rama, others have praised his look. Amid the criticism, Ravie Dubey, who plays Lakshman in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, has defended Ranbir's casting.Ravie Dubey defended Ranbir Kapoor amid criticismIn an interview with Variety India, Ravie talked about his co-star Ranbir and, amid the criticism surrounding his casting as Lord Rama, the actor said, “I think Ranbir is simply the best we have. He is a superstar of epic proportions, but what has stayed with me even more is the human being and the artiste I have witnessed at close range. The sincerity with which he comes onto a set is unparalleled. His work ethic, etiquette, intensity and preparation; I had heard so much about these things, but I had the privilege of witnessing them firsthand.”He added, "And alongside all of that is this incredibly grounded, warm and inclusive nature. There is no weight of his stardom in the way he interacts with people. I find that enormously inspiring. It is my great good fortune to be a part of this journey alongside Ranbir, Namit (Malhotra), Nitesh (Tiwari), Yash, Sai Pallavi and every single person associated with Ramayana.”Ranbir had earlier confirmed that he is set to play the dual roles of Lord Rama and Lord Parshurama in Ramayana. Talking about the same, he told Collider, “Lord Vishnu had different avatars. Lord Rama was an avatar, and Lord Parshurama was an avatar before Lord Rama. Just to get the opportunity, you know, how I got to play Lord Rama, to also play Lord Parshurama was fantastic.” About RamayanaHelmed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film is based on the ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana by Valmiki, which chronicles the life and trials of Lord Rama, the Prince of Ayodhya. It features an ensemble cast including Ranbir Kapoor, Ravie Dubey (in his film debut), Sai Pallavi, Sunny Deol, Yash (in his Hindi film debut), Anupam Kher, Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, Vivek Oberoi, Kunal Kapoor, Adinath Kothare, Arun Govil, Indira Krishnan and Lara Dutta.Backed by Namit Malhotra and Yash under Prime Focus Studios, Monster Mind Creations and DNEG, the film is one of the most expensive films ever made in India, mounted on a budget of ₹4,000 crore. Ramayana is a two-part film, with the first part releasing on Diwali 2026 and the second on Diwali 2027.