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Ramayana film controversy in India

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2026-08-12 12:19 UTC → 2026-08-12 12:52 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In late July, former Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi used her X account to denounce the trailer of the upcoming Indian epic *Ramayana*, calling its casting, visual effects, acting, costumes and music “hardly worth the hype.” She linked the backlash to nationwide student protests demanding the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. A few days later, actor Chetan Hansraj defended the film’s visual effects, dismissing critics as “keyboard VFX superstars,” and praised the casting of Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram and Sai Pallavi as Sita. Costume designers Rimple and Harpreet Narula also responded, explaining that their modern styling was an artistic interpretation meant to connect the ancient epic with contemporary audiences, using symbolic colours rather than striving for historical exactness. In mid-August, actor Gajendra Chauhan, known for his role in the television series *Mahabharat*, expressed reservations regarding the casting of high-profile Bollywood stars. While he described Ranbir Kapoor’s appearance as Lord Ram as commendable, he criticized the portrayal of Kaikeyi, played by Lara Dutta. Chauhan suggested that her modern styling lacked the “traditional authenticity” found in previous productions and argued that actors with high public visibility may struggle to shed their existing personas to convincingly portray revered mythological figures. By mid-August, the film’s production team issued further defenses against social media criticism of the CGI and visual effects. Actor Ranbir Kapoor noted that the rise of AI and social media has led viewers to believe they are experts in CGI, emphasizing that the film is the result of years of work by dedicated artists. Producer Namit Malhotra argued that the film is a “massive theatrical experience” that should not be judged through compressed mobile video, noting a misconception where audiences mistake human-led VFX for simple AI-generated content.

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