Ranbir Is Lord Ram; Who’s Playing Whom In Ramayana?

From Arun Govil and Shobana to Vivek Oberoi and Kajal Aggarwal, meet the sprawling supporting cast bringing Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana to life.

IMAGE: Sai Pallavi, Ranbir Kapoor and Ravie Dubey in Ramayana.

 

We don’t need to tell you that the upcoming adaptation of Ramayana, produced by Namit Malhotra and directed by Nitesh Tiwari, is going to be the biggest Indian movie of all time.

At least in terms of its budget.

Or, at least until S S Rajamouli arrives with his magnum opus Varanasi.

The two-part Ramayana is touted to be made on a budget of Rs 4,000 crore (Rs 40 billion), well, according to the producer himself. With the first part releasing on Diwali 2026, expectations are certainly high for the film.

The trailer that has been revealed to the public gives us not only a look at the VFX-heavy world created for the film but also proper glimpses of many of the important cast members.

Ranbir Kapoor is, of course, playing Lord Ram, while Sai Pallavi is playing Sita. Kannada superstar Yash is making his Bollywood debut by taking on the role of Ravan. While the trailer hasn’t shown him, we know that Sunny Deol is playing Lord Hanuman.

But what about the rest of the cast? The four-minute trailer did give us glimpses of some notable cast members in supporting roles, while also leaving out several other reported names.

Sreeju Sudhakaran lists the actors in the supporting cast, confirmed either by the trailer or through social media.

Ravie Dubey

The Role: Lakshman

IMAGE: Ravie Dubey in Ramayana.

Ravie Dubey is certainly a very popular name among fans of Indian television. Even though he has been active for two decades on the small screen, it is incredible to believe that it is only in 2026 that Ravie Dubey is making his big Bollywood debut.

The good-looking actor began his acting career with supporting roles in shows like Stree Teri Kahaani (2006), Yahan Ke Hum Sikandar (2007) and Doli Saja Ke (2007), before taking on lead roles in popular soaps like Ranbir Rano (2008), 12/24 Karol Bagh (2009) and Saas Bina Sasural (2010).

He has also participated in reality shows like Nach Baliye 5 (2012), Nach Baliye Shriman v/s Shrimati (2013) and Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 8 (2017).

He is married to actress Sargun Mehta.

 

Arun Govil

The Role: King Dashrath

IMAGE: Arun Govil in Ramayana.

It feels ironic when, in the trailer, Arun Govil’s King Dashrath announces his onscreen son as Lord Ram, considering he was once synonymous, and still is, with the most iconic onscreen portrayal of Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s iconic 1987 television series Ramayan.

He reprised the role in other shows like Luv Kush (1988) and Jai Veer Hanuman (1995), and even voiced the character in the Hindi dub of the famous Indo-Japanese 1993 anime Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama (Breaking Bad fame Bryan Cranston voiced the character in the English dub).

Funnily enough, the actor also played Lakshman in the 1997 movie Lav Kush, where Jeetendra played Lord Ram. The actor has portrayed other mythological characters like Indra, Lord Venkateswara, Lord Shiva and Raja Harishchandra in various shows and movies.

Before he hit the career jackpot with Ramayan, Arun Govil had tried his luck playing the leading man in movies like Sawan Ko Aane Do (1979), Jiyo To Aise Jiyo (1981) and Sasural (1984), among others. He was also very popular for playing Raja Vikram in the 1985 Doordarshan serial Vikram Aur Betaal.

He is currently the MP from Meerut, having won the seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket.

 

Lara Dutta

The Role: Kaikeyi

IMAGE: Lara Dutta in Ramayana.

It is hard to imagine former Miss Universe Lara Dutta playing the role of Ranbir Kapoor’s stepmother, and the mother to an actor who is just six years younger than her.

Having won the beauty pageant title in 2000, Lara made her acting debut in the 2003 film Andaaz, where she shared the screen with Akshay Kumar and fellow Miss India contestant, and Miss World title winner, Priyanka Chopra.

From there on, Lara played lead roles in popular movies like Masti (2004), Aan: Men at Work (2004), Elaan (2005), Kaal (2005), No Entry (2005), Zinda (2006), Dosti: Friends Forever (2005), Bhagam Bhag (2006), Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007), Partner (2007) and Billu (2009), among others.

After playing lead roles throughout the 2000s, Lara took on prominent supporting parts, particularly in films like Don 2 (2011), Azhar (2016), Bell Bottom (2021) and Welcome to the Jungle.

She is married to tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi.

Indira Krishnan

The Role: Kaushalya

IMAGE: Indira Krishnan in Animal.

Another face familiar to Hindi telly fans, Indira Krishnan actually began her innings on the big screen.

She debuted in Odia cinema as the lead in the 1995 film Suna Panjuri before being cast as one of the female leads in the Mithun Chakraborty potboiler Aaj Ka Ravan (2000).

She gained more popularity by taking on supporting roles in serials like Manzilein Apni Apni (2001), Saara Akaash (2003), Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii (2000), Dhruv Tara — Samay Sadi Se Pare (2023) and Ganga Mai Ki Betiyan (2008), among others.

Interestingly, before playing Ranbir Kapoor’s mother in Ramayana, she played his onscreen mother-in-law in his biggest blockbuster, Animal (2023).

Adinath Kothare

The Role: Bharat

IMAGE: Adinath Kothare in ’83.

Marathi thespian and filmmaker Mahesh Kothare’s son, Adinath has followed in his famous father’s footsteps by trying his hand at both acting and directing.

Having made his lead debut in the 2010 Marathi movie Ved Lavi Jeeva, directed by his father, Adinath went on to play the lead in several Marathi movies like Zapatlela 2 (2013), Hello Nandan (2014), Ishq Wala Love (2014) and Avatarachi Goshta (2014), among others.

He has directed one feature-length film, Paani (2024), which was produced by Priyanka Chopra. He also played the lead in the film.

Adinath — who plays Lord Ram’s devoted brother in Ramayana — has done only only two Hindi movies before, Kabir Khan’s cricket biopic ’83 (2021), where he portrayed Dilip Vengsarkar, and Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee’s Shastry Viruddh Shastry (2023).

Nitish Sharma

The Role: Shatrughan

IMAGE: Nitish Sharma and Mihir Ahuja in Pyaar Paisa Profit.

Nitish Sharma — who plays another of Lord Ram’s stepbrothers — is making his big screen debut with Ramayana. He has only one acting credit so far, playing a crucial role in the MX Player series Pyaar Paisa Profit (2025), which starred Mihir Ahuja and RJ Mahvash.

Sheeba Chaddha

The Role: Manthara

IMAGE: Lara Dutta and Sheeba Chaddha in Ramayana.

The incredible Sheeba Chaddha is known for elevating any film or show she is in with her performances, genre no bar.

A classmate of Anurag Kashyap, the actress made her film debut with a supporting role in Dil Se.. (1998). She was also part of movies like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000), Delhi-6 (2009) and Luck by Chance (2009), though she gained more recognition for her performances in Talaash (2012) and Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015).

Sheeba earned further critical acclaim with Gully Boy (2019), Pagglait (2021), Badhaai Do (2022), Khuda Haafiz: Chapter 2 – Agni Pariksha (2022), The Great Shamsuddin Family (2025), and OTT series like Permanent Roommates (2014), Mirzapur (2018) and Bandish Bandits (2020).

She plays Kaikeyi’s confidant and adviser in the Ramayana.

Sonal Jha

The Role: Sumitra

IMAGE: Sidharth Shukla and Sonal Jha in Balika Vadhu.

Another theatre veteran who became a familiar face on Hindi television, Sonal Jha gained popularity for her roles in the Colors shows Na Aana Is Des Laado (2009) and Balika Vadhu (2008).

She had a tryst with mythology when she was part of Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s DD show Upanishad Ganga (2012).

Sonal — who plays Lord Ram’s stepmother, Lakshman and Shatrughan’s mother — has also appeared in movies like Aarakshan (2011), Chillar Party (2011), Lipstick Under My Burkha (2017), Malaal (2019) and Agra (2023).

Shobana

The Role: Kaikesi

IMAGE: Shobana plays Ravan’s mother in Ramayana.

We won’t be wrong in calling Shobana one of the finest actresses to grace Indian cinema.

An accomplished classical dancer and two-time National Award winner, Shobana, who is the niece of the famous Travancore Sisters, Lalitha, Padmini and Ragini, began acting as a child artiste before becoming a leading lady at merely 14 in the Malayalam film April 18 (1984).

From there on, she became an indispensable part of Malayalam cinema, while also venturing into Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. Her onscreen pairings with Mohanlal, Mammootty and Jayaram are still cherished by fans.

She won a memorable National Award for Best Actress for her performance as a woman suffering from dissociative identity disorder in Fazil’s Manichitrathazhu (1993), an act that hasn’t been surpassed yet despite the film’s several remakes.

She won her second National Award for her performance in Revathi’s English film Mitr, My Friend (2002). Although very choosy about her roles, she has had notable parts in recent hits like Thudarum (2025) and Kalki 2898 AD (2024).

Vivek Oberoi

The Role: Vidyutjihva

IMAGE: Vivek Oberoi plays Shurpanakha’s husband in Ramayana.

Vivek Oberoi’s career graph is an interesting case study of the fickle nature of stardom. Launched with much fanfare in Company (2002), the actor stunned everyone with a gritty performance as the hot-headed gangster Chandu in the Ram Gopal Varma film.

He established his stardom with the romantic hit Saathiya (2002). While he enjoyed success as a lead actor with films like Masti (2004), Yuva (2004) and Kaal (2005), Vivek saw his fandom wane after delivering several box-office underperformers. His media spat with Salman Khan didn’t help either.

Presently, he is doing more antagonistic roles, particularly in South cinema. He infamously played the lead role in the biopic PM Narendra Modi (2019). His last film was Mastiii 4 (2025).

Rakul Preet Singh

The Role: Shurpanakha

IMAGE: Rakul Preet Singh plays Ravan’s sister in Ramayana.

The beautiful Rakul Preet Singh started off as a model before beginning her acting career at the age of 18 in the Kannada film Gilli (2009).

Her breakout role in Bollywood was Divya Khossla’s directorial debut Yaariyan (2014). She has had quite a busy career, taking on lead roles across Bollywood, Telugu and Tamil cinema, with Kick 2 (2015), Bruce Lee: The Fighter (2015), Sarrainodu (2016), Dhruva (2016), Spyder (2017), Aiyaary (2018), De De Pyaar De (2019), Runway 34 (2022), De De Pyaar De 2 (2025) and, more recently, Pati Patni Aur Woh Do.

Faisal Malik

The Role: Kumbhakaran

IMAGE: Faisal Malik in Panchayat.

Who can forget Prahlad Pandey, easily one of the most adorable characters from a TVF show?!

Faisal Malik earned breakout success playing the character, whose tragic family turn unexpectedly broke many hearts in Panchayat (2020). He made his acting debut in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2 (2012), but it took Panchayat to give him widespread recognition.

Since then, he has played notable roles in films like Mast Mein Rehne Ka (2023), Maa (2025), Thamma (2025) and Subedaar (2026).

He plays Ravan’s sleepy brother in Ramayana.

Ajinkya Deo

The Role: Vishwamitra

IMAGE: Ajinkya Deo in Aan: Men at Work.

Did you know that before he was cast as Vishwamitra, Lord Ram’s mentor, Ajinkya Deo had auditioned for the role of Dashrath, which eventually went to Arun Govil?

The veteran actor has been a prominent figure in both Hindi and Marathi cinema since the 1980s. While he was definitely the dashing leading man in several Marathi entertainers at the time, the son of actors Ramesh Deo and Seema Deo also appeared in notable Hindi films like Phool Aur Angaar (1993), Paandav (1995) and Sauda (1995), before moving on to character roles.

More recently, he was seen in films like Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (2020), Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (2023) and 120 Bahadur (2025).

Kunal Kapoor

The Role: Lord Indra

IMAGE: Kunal Kapoor in The Empire.

The handsome Kunal Kapoor could possibly have one of the most epic action scenes in the film, if that flying white elephant is indeed Airavata, Indra’s vehicle.

Beyond playing the role of the rain god, Kunal has had quite a memorable career, appearing in films like Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities (2004), Rang De Basanti (2006), Aaja Nachle (2007), Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008), Don 2 (2011), Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana (2012), Dear Zindagi (2016) and Raag Desh (2017). He also played Babur in the JioHotstar series The Empire (2021).

He voiced Lord Ram in the 2016 animated movie Mahayoddha Rama.

Saurabh Sachdeva

The Role: Mareech

IMAGE: Saurabh Sachdeva plays Mareech, the shape-shifter rakshas who works for Ravan, in Ramayana.

From being an acting coach to becoming an actor, Saurabh Sachdeva has had quite an interesting transition. As an actor, he enjoyed breakout success playing Suleiman Isa in the Netflix series Sacred Games (2018).

Since then, he has worked not just in Bollywood but also in other film industries, with credits including Animal (2023), Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024), Dhadak 2 (2025), Baaghi 4 (2025) and Satluj (2026).

He also had a crucial role in the acclaimed Malayalam film Eko (2025), with the central mystery revolving around his character.

As an acting coach, he has trained several popular actors including Bobby Deol, John Abraham, Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Triptii Dimri, Arjun Kapoor and Richa Chadha among others.

Mukesh Tiwari

The Role: Agastya Muni

IMAGE: Mukesh Tiwari in China Gate.

An NSD graduate, Mukesh Tiwari made a smashing debut in Rajkumar Santoshi’s China Gate (1998). Although the movie underperformed at the box office, it enjoyed greater popularity during its television run, and Tiwari’s performance as the despicable dacoit leader Jageera was highly praised.

He went on to play memorable roles in films like The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002), Gangaajal (2003) and, of course, the recurring role of Vasooli Bhai in the Golmaal franchise, beginning with Golmaal: Fun Unlimited (2006).

In Ramayana he plays Agastya Muni, Lord Ram’s guide during exile.

Shishir Sharma

The Role: Vashishtha

IMAGE: Veer Rajwant Singh, Shishir Sharma and Renuka Shahane in What The Folks.

Pick a famous TV show or movie, and there is a 70 per cent possibility that Shishir Sharma is part of it. The actor has seared himself into people’s memories with his calm performances right from Swabhimaan (1995). He has been part of innumerable shows like CID (1998), Hip Hip Hurray (1998), Kumkum: Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan (2002), Saathiya: Pyar Ka Naya Ehsaas (2004), Miley Jab Hum Tum (2008) and Shastri Sisters (2014), among others.

He has also appeared in movies like Sarkar Raj (2008), Mary Kom (2014), Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015), Raazi (2018), Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019), Chhichhore (2019) and, most recently, Ikka.

Shishir plays Vashishtha, the guru of Lord Ram and his brothers.

Kajal Aggarwal

The Role: Mandodari

IMAGE: Vijay and Kajal Aggarwal in Mersal.

Not many know this, but Kajal began her career with a very small role in Kyun! Ho Gaya Na… (2004), playing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s sister. She found greater career success in the South, particularly in Tamil and Telugu cinema, where she was one of the most sought-after heroines in the late 2000s and 2010s.

Her breakout role was undoubtedly as the female lead in S S Rajamouli’s fantasy romantic entertainer Magadheera (2009), opposite Ram Charan, which pushed her right into the big league.

She has worked with superstars like Vijay, Karthi, Ajith Kumar, Allu Arjun, Chiranjeevi, Mahesh Babu and Jr NTR, delivering several hits with them.

In Bollywood, she was part of hits like Singham (2011) and Special 26 (2013), cast opposite Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar respectively. Most recently, she played a righteous lawyer in the social drama The India Story (2026).

Playing Ravan’s wife in Ramayana is her biggest role in a while.

Harish Uthaman

The Role: Vibhishan

IMAGE: Harish Uthaman in Ini Utharam.

Harish Uthaman can be called an all-rounder in South cinema, considering how prolific he has been across Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, along with one Kannada outing.

The former airline employee began his acting career with the 2010 Tamil film Tha. Mostly known for his negative roles, Harish has appeared in films like Mumbai Police (2013), Srimanthudu (2015), Thani Oruvan (2015), Bairavaa (2017),Duvvada Jagannadham (2017), Mayaanadhi (2017), Vinaya Vidheya Rama (2019), Bheeshma Parvam (2022) and Vikram (2022), among others.

Ramayana (2026) marks his Hindi film debut, and for a change, he is taking on a positive role here, despite playing Ravan’s brother.

Anupam Kher

The Role: Jatayu

IMAGE: Anupam Kher in The Kashmir Files.

Kher made one of the greatest acting debuts ever, impressing as a 70-year-old man in Mahesh Bhatt’s Saaransh (1984), even though he was just 29. Since then, he has been an indispensable part of Bollywood, whether playing negative roles in Karma (1986), Nigahen (1989), Hum (1991) and ChaalBaaz (1989), comic roles in Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin (1991), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and Shola Aur Shabnam (1992), or strong character roles in Daddy (1989), Darr (1993), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and Lamhe (1991).

He has also worked in international films, most prominently Lust, Caution (2007), Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and The Big Sick (2017).

Films like Khosla Ka Ghosla! (2006) and A Wednesday! (2008), where he played pivotal roles, still enjoy cult status. He has also directed two movies, Om Jai Jagadish (2002) and Tanvi the Great (2025).

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff