The Ensemble: From Arun Govil to Anupam Kher's Jatayu
Behind the three headline names stands one of the largest casts ever gathered for an Indian film, drawn from Bollywood, regional cinema, television and the stage. Jubliz introduces the faces who complete Ayodhya and Lanka.
A Ramayana lives or dies by its households. Ayodhya needs a noble king, three queens, four princes and one fateful maid. Lanka needs a proud queen, a vengeful sister, loyal and disloyal brothers, cunning demons and fearless warriors. Then there are the gods, the sages and the creatures of the forest. Nitesh Tiwari and casting director Mukesh Chhabra have filled this vast canvas with a deliberate mix of film stars, television favourites, regional talent and one casting decision that carries almost sacred symbolic weight.
The masterstroke: Arun Govil as Dashrath
For a generation of Indian families, Arun Govil is Rama. His gentle, serene performance in Ramanand Sagar's 1987 Ramayan became so iconic that viewers reportedly touched his feet in public and kept his picture in their prayer rooms. Nearly four decades later, he returns to the epic as King Dashrath, the father of Rama.
It is a beautifully poetic choice. The man who was Rama now sends Rama into exile. For older audiences, every scene between Govil and Ranbir Kapoor will carry a second layer of meaning, a passing of the torch from the most loved screen Ramayana of the past to the most ambitious one of the present. His character poster was among the first individual assets released in the final campaign, and it drew some of the warmest reactions of all.
The royal household of Ayodhya
- Dashrath: Arun Govil
- Kaushalya: Indira Krishnan
- Kaikeyi: Lara Dutta
- Sumitra: Sonal Jha
- Manthara: Sheeba Chaddha
- Lakshman: Ravie Dubey
- Bharat: Adinath Kothare
- Shatrughna: Nitish Sharma
- Vashishtha: Shishir Sharma
- Vishwamitra: Ajinkya Deo
The palace drama of Part One turns on two women. Lara Dutta, the former Miss Universe whose film career has ranged from comedy to period drama, plays Kaikeyi, the beloved queen whose demand for two long promised boons sends Rama into exile. Sheeba Chaddha, one of Hindi cinema's most reliable character actors, plays Manthara, the maid whose whispers set the tragedy in motion. Together, they give the first act its tension.
Indira Krishnan plays Kaushalya, Rama's mother, the emotional anchor of Ayodhya; reports even suggest Ranbir recommended her for the role. Marathi actor and filmmaker Adinath Kothare plays Bharat, the devoted brother who refuses the throne and places Rama's sandals upon it, a role he has described as a life transforming journey.
The world of Lanka
- Ravana: Yash
- Mandodari: Kajal Aggarwal
- Surpanakha: Rakul Preet Singh
- Vidyutjihva: Vivek Oberoi
- Kaikesi: Shobana
- Vibhishana: Harish Uthaman
- Kumbhakarna: Faisal Malik
- Mareech: Saurabh Sachdeva
Lanka's court brings together stars from across India. Kajal Aggarwal, a major name in Telugu and Tamil cinema since Magadheera, plays Mandodari, though she has been candid that her role in Part One is limited because Lanka has a smaller presence in this chapter. Rakul Preet Singh plays Surpanakha, whose humiliation in the forest triggers Ravana's revenge. The acclaimed actor and classical dancer Shobana plays Kaikesi, Ravana's mother.
Vivek Oberoi, remembered for Company and Omkara, plays Vidyutjihva, Surpanakha's husband, a lesser known figure in popular retellings whose brief but striking trailer appearance has made him a talking point. Faisal Malik, beloved from the web series Panchayat, plays the giant Kumbhakarna, and Saurabh Sachdeva plays Mareech, the shape shifter who becomes the golden deer.
Gods, sages and voices
Kunal Kapoor, forever associated with Rang De Basanti, plays Indra, king of the gods, and Mukesh Tiwari plays Sage Agastya. Mohit Raina, who became a household name as Shiva in the television series Devon Ke Dev Mahadev, has been reported to return as Shiva.
The voice of Jatayu became one of the campaign's most intriguing stories. Early reports linked Amitabh Bachchan to the role, but in July 2026 the film's character comic revealed Anupam Kher, a veteran of more than 500 films who previously voiced Carl Fredricksen in the Hindi version of Up. In October the makers unveiled Jatayu's poster, describing the noble bird as the wings of dharma. Yash has teased that the clash between Jatayu and Ravana will be one of the most thrilling sequences in the film.
The Hanuman question
Sunny Deol's Hanuman is the ensemble's biggest name with the least screen time. The star of Border, Gadar and the record breaking Gadar 2 brings enormous mass appeal, yet reports put his appearance in Part One at roughly 15 minutes. Hanuman's great chapters, from the search for Sita to the burning of Lanka and the Sanjeevani mountain, belong to Part Two, and there are already reports of a standalone Hanuman film led by Deol.
Social media buzz
The staggered character poster campaign has kept the ensemble in constant conversation. Each release, from Dashrath to Kaikeyi and Manthara to Jatayu, created its own news cycle and its own wave of fan art. Casting rumours travelled just as fast: names such as Anil Kapoor and Vikrant Massey circulated online for months before fact checks set the record straight. In July, a special Ramayana comic book unveiled at the Pratham Sankalp event in New Delhi confirmed many of the roles, turning casting speculation into collectible merchandise.
Next: an ensemble built for two films
The structure of the saga explains the shape of the cast. Part One explores Ayodhya in depth, which is why its royal family is so richly drawn. Part Two will shift the spotlight to Lanka, Kishkindha and the war, when Mandodari, Vibhishana, Kumbhakarna and Hanuman come into their own. Several of these actors are effectively being introduced now for performances that will define the sequel.
Jubliz takeaway: The ensemble is built for the long game. Arun Govil's Dashrath is the casting decision most likely to move older audiences to tears, while the Lanka court and Sunny Deol's Hanuman are being held in reserve for the chapter where the epic becomes a war.
