Actor Dev Sharma says he was rejected from Adipurush, Ramayana for being taller than Ranbir Kapoor, 'as huge as' Prabhas
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
In 2023, Prabhas and Kriti Sanon's Adipurush , based on the Ramayana , was rolled out amid immense backlash over its portrayal of the epic. Now, Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, starring Ranbir Kapoor, is among the most highly anticipated films of the year. However, before that, another movie based on the epic, Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha, is set to hit theatres. At the movie's trailer launch on Thursday, star Dev Sharma, who plays Lord Rama, opened up that he was previously rejected for the role of Lakshman in both Adipurush and Ramayana.
Adding to this, Dev Sharma recalls being rejected from Adipurush and Ramayana. Dev Sharma on being rejected from Adipurush and Ramayana Responding to a reporter's question at the trailer launch, Dev shared in Hindi, "Before this, I was offered the role of Lakshman in both Adipurush as well as Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana. My look tests were also almost finalised, but things didn't work out."
Meanwhile, Explaining why he was not finalised for either movie, Dev shared, "Somewhere I was two inches taller than the star playing Lord Rama and in another I was as huge as the star playing Lord Rama, so I wasn't finalised. So I was disheartened that maybe my connection with Ramayana is not that good; that is why I am being rejected again and again."
Notably, Dev also opened up that when the producers of his current movie approached him, he initially turned down the offer, saying that he did not want to do a Ramayana movie or play Lakshman. However, he eventually felt that it was his destiny to portray Lord Rama and that his earlier rejections for the role of Lakshman had happened for a reason.
As per the latest buzz, In Adipurush, Prabhas played Lord Rama, Kriti Sanon played Sita, Saif Ali Khan played Ravana, and Sunny Singh played Lakshman. The movie faced backlash upon rollout over its portrayal of the characters, dialogue, and VFX. It as per reports collected around ₹ 390 crore rupees worldwide against a reported budget of ₹ 700 crore rupees.
In further updates, In Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi portrays Sita, and Ravi Dubey is set to play Lakshman. The movie also stars Kannada star Yash as Ravana and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman. The two-part epic has as per reports been mounted on a massive ₹ 4,000 crore rupees budget, with the first part scheduled to rollout in theatres during Diwali 2026.
On top of that, Directed by Abhishek Singh, Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha stars Dev Sharma as Lord Rama, Anjali Arora as Sita, and Rajniesh Duggall as Ravana. Produced by Prakash Mahobiya and Sanjay Bundela under the banner of Mahobiya Films, the movie is scheduled to rollout in theatres on September 25.
Riya Sharma is a content producer at Hindustan Times who lives and breathes entertainment. If there’s gossip making noise in Bollywood or a reality show moment breaking the internet, chances are she’s already writing about it. She loves digging out the juiciest stories, spotting widely shared pegs and turning it into easy-to-read content. A journalism graduate from IP University, Riya began her career as a social media executive, where she learned the art of grabbing attention in a scroll-heavy world. But her love for showbiz soon pulled her into entertainment journalism, because for her, it’s always been entertainment, entertainment and more entertainment. An artist at heart, Riya has a deep passion for acting, music and dance, which shapes how she watches and writes about films and reality shows. She loves sharing her views and reviews, especially when something excites, surprises or completely disappoints her. A hardcore reality show fan, Riya enjoys tracking every twist, task and meltdown, and breaking them down for readers who can’t get enough of high-voltage drama. Movies are equally close to her heart, whether it’s a big theatrical rollout or a binge-worthy OTT series, she’s always watching, and analysing what’s worth the time. She loves talking to celebrities, asking questions that go beyond the usual. When she’s not working, she’s either glued to a new web series, hunting for underrated thrillers on OTT platforms, or rewatching iconic Bollywood moments. Read More
Source: Hindustan Times