The Ramayana cast is led by Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana, with Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman. Nitesh Tiwari’s film opens in cinemas worldwide on Thursday, November 5, 2026, as Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, and in India as Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana.
It is the first of two films. Part 1 covers Ram’s early years, his marriage to Sita and the exile, and the cast list runs past 25 named roles. Here is who plays who, grouped the way the epic is: Ayodhya, Lanka, and Ram’s allies.
The Ramayana cast at a glance: the five leads
| Actor | Character | Who they are |
|---|---|---|
| Ranbir Kapoor | Lord Ram (and Lord Parashurama) | Prince of Ayodhya and the hero of the epic |
| Sai Pallavi | Sita | Princess of Mithila and Ram’s wife |
| Yash | Ravana | King of Lanka and the epic’s villain |
| Sunny Deol | Lord Hanuman | Ram’s greatest devotee |
| Ravie Dubey | Lakshman | Ram’s younger brother, who follows him into exile |
Ranbir Kapoor has a double role. Besides Ram, he plays Parashurama, the warrior sage and sixth avatar of Vishnu, which he confirmed himself at the film’s Los Angeles teaser launch. Yash is more than the villain here: he also co-produces the film through his company, Monster Mind Creations, alongside Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios. Ravana is his first role in a film made in Hindi, after KGF made him a star across India.
Ayodhya: Ram’s family and court
The royal family is where the Ramayana cast hides its neatest piece of casting. Arun Govil, who played Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s 1987 TV series Ramayan, now plays Ram’s father, King Dasharatha.
| Actor | Character | Who they are |
|---|---|---|
| Arun Govil | King Dasharatha | Ruler of Ayodhya and father of the four princes |
| Indira Krishnan | Queen Kaushalya | Dasharatha’s first queen and Ram’s mother |
| Lara Dutta | Queen Kaikeyi | The queen whose two boons send Ram into exile |
| Sonal Jha | Queen Sumitra | Mother of Lakshman and Shatrughna |
| Adinath Kothare | Bharat | Ram’s brother, who refuses to take his throne |
| Nitish Sharma | Shatrughna | The youngest of the four brothers |
| Sheeba Chaddha | Manthara | Kaikeyi’s maid, who turns her against Ram |
Lanka: Ravana’s side of the Ramayana cast
Ravana’s family is cast just as carefully as Ram’s, with stars from Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam cinema.
| Actor | Character | Who they are |
|---|---|---|
| Yash | Ravana | The ten-headed king of Lanka |
| Kajal Aggarwal | Mandodari | Ravana’s queen, who tries to talk him out of his path |
| Rakul Preet Singh | Surpanakha | Ravana’s sister, whose meeting with Ram and Lakshman starts the war |
| Faisal Malik | Kumbhakarna | Ravana’s giant brother, famous for his long sleep |
| Harish Uthaman | Vibhishana | Ravana’s brother, who later sides with Ram |
| Shobana | Kaikesi | Ravana’s mother |
| Vivek Oberoi | Vidyutjihva | Surpanakha’s husband |
| Saurabh Sachdeva | Maricha | The demon who becomes the golden deer |
One more name is reported but not on the publicity lists: The Indian Express reported in February 2026 that Raghav Juyal plays Ravana’s son Meghnad.
Ram’s allies, sages and gods
| Actor | Character | Who they are |
|---|---|---|
| Sunny Deol | Lord Hanuman | The devotee who will find Sita in Lanka |
| Suhail Nayyar | Sugriva | The Vanara king who allies with Ram |
| Anupam Kher | Jatayu (voice) | The vulture king who fights Ravana to save Sita |
| Ajinkya Deo | Sage Vishwamitra | Ram’s early teacher, who leads him to Mithila |
| Shishir Sharma | Sage Vashishtha | Royal guru of Ayodhya |
| Mukesh Tiwari | Sage Agastya | The sage who guides Ram during the exile |
| Kunal Kapoor | Lord Indra | King of the Devas |
Is Sunny Deol’s Hanuman in Ramayana Part 1?
Only briefly, if the early viewers are right. Hanuman’s big chapters, finding Sita and burning Lanka, belong to the second half of the story. People who saw the film at the overseas screenings say Hanuman appears only at the very end, in a scene after the credits, as reported by NDTV and Times Now. The makers have not confirmed it, so stay seated once the credits start.
Ramayana release, runtime and languages
- Release: Thursday, November 5, 2026, worldwide, including IMAX, timed for Diwali.
- Two titles: Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana in India, Ramayana: Rise of a Legend in most other markets.
- Runtime: 195 minutes (3 hours 15 minutes) as certified in India. The BBFC lists the UK version at 167 minutes, so the overseas cut is shorter.
- Ratings: U with zero cuts from the CBFC in India, PG-13 in the US.
- Languages: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, plus an English version overseas.
- Music: Hans Zimmer and A. R. Rahman.
Early international reviews, which landed on October 30, praise the visuals but are split on the story. Screen Rant called it “a visually striking epic” that “stumbles somewhat on the character moments”, while IGN was much harsher on the English version.
When is Ramayana Part 2?
Part 2 was announced for Diwali 2027 and started filming in Mumbai in March 2026. Bollywood Hungama and India Today now report that it has slipped to Diwali 2028. The makers have not announced a new date, so treat 2028 as reported, not confirmed. Most of the Ramayana cast returns, and Hanuman, Sugriva and Vibhishana should have far more to do once the story reaches Lanka.
Our take
This Ramayana cast is built for an audience across India, not one industry. A Kannada superstar plays Ravana, a South Indian favourite plays Sita, a Marathi actor plays Bharat, and a Malayalam veteran plays Ravana’s mother. Arun Govil as Dasharatha is the casting that will land hardest with anyone who grew up on the 1987 Ramayan. The open question is Part 1 itself: with Hanuman held back to the end, the film has to carry three hours on Ram, Sita and Ravana alone, and that is exactly where the early reviews disagree.
More Indian cinema on Lazybatman: our Dhurandhar on Netflix review.
Which casting are you most excited about: Ranbir as Ram, Yash as Ravana or Sunny Deol as Hanuman? Tell us in the comments.
Sources: Variety India, India Today (cast and Part 2, CBFC), The Indian Express, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, BBFC, Bollywood Hungama, NDTV, Times Now, The Indian Express (Meghnad), News18, Screen Rant, Wikipedia. Featured image: a frame from the official trailer. Ramayana is a Prime Focus Studios and Monster Mind Creations film, distributed by Dharma Productions in North India and Sony Pictures internationally; all rights belong to the rights holders.
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