Ranbir Kapoor plays Rama, Sai Pallavi plays Sita, Yash plays Ravana, Sunny Deol plays Hanuman and Ravi Dubey plays Lakshman in Ramayana: Part 1. The twist fans are talking about: Arun Govil, who played Ram in the 1987 TV series Ramayan, now plays Ram’s father, Dasharatha.
This is the full cast of Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part Ramayana, with photos, every character explained and a fan poll. You will also find a Ramayan 1987 vs 2026 comparison, the lesser-known characters decoded and a few things the cast list doesn’t tell you. The film is due in cinemas in November 2026. Last updated on October 9, 2026.
Ramayana: Part 1 Cast at a Glance
The makers have not published one official cast list, so this table follows the film’s cast as listed on Wikipedia and cross-checked against trailer coverage by Esquire India, Scroll and others. We update it as roles are confirmed.
| Actor | Character | Who the character is |
| Ranbir Kapoor | Rama (also Parashurama and Vishnu) | The prince of Ayodhya and hero of the epic |
| Sai Pallavi | Sita | Rama’s wife, princess of Mithila |
| Yash | Ravana | The ten-headed king of Lanka |
| Sunny Deol | Hanuman | Rama’s devoted ally |
| Ravi Dubey | Lakshman | Rama’s younger brother, who follows him into exile |
| Arun Govil | Dasharatha | King of Ayodhya, father of Rama |
| Lara Dutta | Kaikeyi | Dasharatha’s queen, whose demand sends Rama into exile |
| Indira Krishnan | Kaushalya | Rama’s mother |
| Sonal Jha | Sumitra | Lakshman and Shatrughna’s mother |
| Adinath Kothare | Bharata | Kaikeyi’s son and Rama’s brother |
| Nitish Sharma | Shatrughna | Rama’s youngest brother |
| Kajal Aggarwal | Mandodari | Ravana’s queen |
| Rakul Preet Singh | Shurpanakha | Ravana’s sister |
| Anupam Kher | Jatayu (voice) | The vulture king who tries to save Sita |
| Vivek Oberoi | Vidyutjihva | Shurpanakha’s husband in the epic |
| Harish Uthaman | Vibhishana | Ravana’s brother who sides with Rama |
| Suhail Nayyar | Sugriva | The vanara king |
| Sheeba Chaddha | Manthara | Kaikeyi’s maid |
| Shishir Sharma | Vasishtha | Royal sage of Ayodhya |
| Ajinkya Deo | Vishvamitra | The sage who guides young Rama |
| Mukesh Tiwari | Agastya | The sage Rama meets in the forest |
| Sonia Balani | Urmila | Lakshman’s wife |
| Riya Kapoor | Mandavi | Bharata’s wife |
| Surabhi Das | Shrutakirti | Shatrughna’s wife |
| Shobana | Kaikashi | Ravana’s mother |
| Faisal Malik | Kumbhakarna | Ravana’s giant brother |
| Parminder Chhada | Subahu | A demon Rama defeats |
| Saurabh Sachdeva | Maricha | The demon who becomes the golden deer |
| Kanchan Chetal | Tataka | The demoness Rama defeats early in the story |
| Chetan Hansraj | Sumali | Ravana’s maternal grandfather |
Meet the Ramayana: Part 1 Cast
Paper colour shows each character’s side: orange for Ayodhya, crimson for Lanka and green for Rama’s allies.
Vote: Who Are You Most Excited to See in Ramayana: Part 1?
Pick the cast member you are most excited to watch. You can back more than one, once a day each, and the results update live. Share this page with a friend and see whose favourite wins.
Who are you most excited to see in Ramayana: Part 1?
Ranbir Kapoor
Rama
Sai Pallavi
Sita
Yash
Ravana
Sunny Deol
Hanuman
Ravi Dubey
Lakshman
Arun Govil
Dasharatha
Lara Dutta
Kaikeyi
Rakul Preet Singh
Shurpanakha
Kajal Aggarwal
Mandodari
Vivek Oberoi
Vidyutjihva
Harish Uthaman
Vibhishana
Shobana
Kaikashi
Sheeba Chaddha
Manthara
Adinath Kothare
Bharata
Saurabh Sachdeva
Maricha
Anupam Kher
Jatayu (voice)Ramayan 1987 vs Ramayana 2026: Who Played Whom
For many viewers, the faces of Ramanand Sagar’s 1987 TV serial are still the faces of the Ramayana. Here is how the leads line up with the new film.
| Character | Ramayan (1987) | Ramayana: Part 1 (2026) |
| Ram | Arun Govil | Ranbir Kapoor |
| Sita | Deepika Chikhlia | Sai Pallavi |
| Lakshman | Sunil Lahri | Ravi Dubey |
| Hanuman | Dara Singh | Sunny Deol |
| Ravana | Arvind Trivedi | Yash |
| Manthara | Lalita Pawar | Sheeba Chaddha |
The full-circle twist: Arun Govil, the actor who became the face of Ram for generations, plays Dasharatha, Ram’s father, in the new film. According to India TV News, the makers felt his long association with the role gives audiences an instant emotional connection.
Who Is Who: The Lesser-Known Characters Explained
Not every name on the cast list is familiar. Here is who some of the less-known characters are, based on the Valmiki Ramayana tradition.
| Character | Played by | Who they are |
| Vidyutjihva | Vivek Oberoi | In the Uttara Kanda tradition, Shurpanakha’s husband, a chief killed by Ravana. His death helps explain her bitterness toward her brother. |
| Kaikashi | Shobana | Ravana’s mother, daughter of the demon king Sumali, and mother of Kumbhakarna, Vibhishana and Shurpanakha too. |
| Sumali | Chetan Hansraj | Kaikashi’s father and Ravana’s maternal grandfather, who pushed the family toward Lanka’s throne. |
| Maricha | Saurabh Sachdeva | The demon who takes the form of a golden deer to lure Rama away from Sita. |
| Manthara | Sheeba Chaddha | Kaikeyi’s maid, whose whispers turn the queen against Rama’s coronation. |
| Mandodari | Kajal Aggarwal | Ravana’s queen, remembered for urging him to return Sita. |
| Jatayu | Anupam Kher (voice) | The vulture king who fights Ravana in the sky to save Sita. |
| Vibhishana | Harish Uthaman | Ravana’s younger brother, who leaves Lanka and joins Rama. |
| Kumbhakarna | Faisal Malik | Ravana’s giant brother, famed for his long sleeps and his strength. |
| Tataka and Subahu | Kanchan Chetal and Parminder Chhada | Demons who disturb Vishvamitra’s rituals and are defeated by young Rama, which is why they are in a film about his early life. |
| Urmila, Mandavi and Shrutakirti | Sonia Balani, Riya Kapoor and Surabhi Das | The wives of Lakshman, Bharata and Shatrughna. |
10 Things the Ramayana: Part 1 Cast List Doesn’t Tell You
- Ranbir Kapoor plays more than Rama. The film’s Wikipedia listing says he also plays Parashurama and Lord Vishnu, and Esquire India’s trailer breakdown notes a Parashurama encounter.
- Arun Govil is now Ram’s father. The 1987 Ram plays Dasharatha.
- Hans Zimmer scores his first Indian film. He works alongside A.R. Rahman, who composed the music.
- Hollywood action names are on board. The action directors include Terry Notary and Guy Norris, who are known for work on the Planet of the Apes films and Mad Max: Fury Road respectively.
- It is the first Indian film in ScreenX, and it also releases in IMAX.
- It took years to make. Filming ran from April 2024 to July 2025 at Film City in Mumbai, followed by about 600 days of post-production, with visual effects by DNEG.
- Yash is also a producer. He produces with Namit Malhotra, in addition to playing Ravana.
- Young Sita and young Shurpanakha are played by different actors. Kiara Sadh plays young Sita and Dishita Sehgal plays young Shurpanakha.
- Part 2 is already filming. Wikipedia says shooting of the second part began in March 2026.
- It travels under other titles. The international release is titled Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, and the China release is titled Ramayana: The Legend of the Prince.
What the Trailer Shows (and What It Doesn’t)
The trailer, released on July 30, 2026, focuses on events before the exile, including Rama breaking Shiva’s bow and the encounter with Parashurama. Esquire India pointed out that Hanuman, played by Sunny Deol, was conspicuously missing, suggesting the makers are saving his first appearance for later in the campaign. Several other characters, such as Kaikeyi, Dasharatha and Mandodari, were barely glimpsed. We will update this page as new characters are revealed.
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Why Bookmark This Page
This page is updated as the film’s release gets closer. We will add:
- Hanuman’s first look as soon as it is released
- New character posters and any new cast announcements
- The date advance booking opens, once confirmed
- The final fan poll results, so you can see who the audience picked
| Date | What’s new on this page |
| October 9, 2026 | Page published with the full cast, character guide, 1987 comparison and fan poll. |
More Bollywood and Ramayana Reading
- Bollywood movies that crossed ₹1000 crore: where could Ramayana: Part 1 land? Nitesh Tiwari’s Dangal is on that list.
- Top 7 songs to play during Ramotsav in Ayodhya: a devotional playlist to set the mood.
Ramayana: Part 1 Cast FAQ
Who plays Rama in Ramayana: Part 1?
Ranbir Kapoor plays Rama. He is also listed as playing Parashurama and Lord Vishnu.
Who plays Sita?
Sai Pallavi plays Sita.
Who plays Ravana?
Yash plays Ravana. He is also a producer on the film.
Who plays Hanuman?
Sunny Deol plays Hanuman.
Who plays Lakshman?
Ravi Dubey plays Lakshman.
Is Arun Govil in the new Ramayana?
Yes. Arun Govil, who played Ram in the 1987 TV series Ramayan, plays Dasharatha, Ram’s father.
Who plays Kaikeyi and Shurpanakha?
Lara Dutta plays Kaikeyi, and Rakul Preet Singh plays Shurpanakha.
Who plays Mandodari?
Kajal Aggarwal plays Mandodari, Ravana’s queen.
Who is the director of Ramayana: Part 1?
Nitesh Tiwari directs, and he co-wrote the screenplay with Shridhar Raghavan.
Who composed the music?
A.R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer. It is Zimmer’s first Indian film.
How many parts does the film have?
Two. Part 1 covers Rama’s early life through his exile and ends with Sita’s abduction.
When does Ramayana: Part 1 release?
It is scheduled for November 2026. Wikipedia lists a worldwide release on November 6, while Diwali falls on November 8 in India, and some reports differ. We will confirm the final India date here.
This guide is based on the film’s published cast listings and trailer coverage, and we update it as the makers confirm more.
Image credits, all via Wikimedia Commons and shown here as cutouts for editorial purposes: Ranbir Kapoor, Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0; Sai Pallavi, Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0; Yash, Sriram Narasimhan, Silverscreen Media Inc., CC BY-SA 3.0; Sunny Deol, Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0; Ravi Dubey, Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0; Arun Govil, Arnav5326, CC0; Lara Dutta, Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0; Rakul Preet Singh, Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0; Kajal Aggarwal, Verghese TK, CC BY-SA 4.0; Vivek Oberoi, Laura Lee Dooley, CC BY 2.0; Harish Uthaman, Harish Uthaman, CC0; Shobana, Lijesh K, CC BY-SA 3.0; Sheeba Chaddha, Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0; Adinath Kothare, Panna Bandekar, CC BY 3.0; Saurabh Sachdeva, Ameet Verma, CC BY-SA 4.0; Anupam Kher, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, GODL-India. Cutouts made from CC BY-SA photos (Yash, Kajal Aggarwal, Shobana, Saurabh Sachdeva) are shared under the same licence. If you are the rights holder of an image and would like it removed or credited differently, see our terms of service or contact us and we will act promptly.
