Ramayana trailer leaves Mahabharat actor Gajendra Chauhan unimpressed. Here's why

Actor Gajendra Chauhan, best known for playing Yudhishthir in BR Chopra's Mahabharat, has shared his thoughts on Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, starring Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram and Yash as Raavan. In an interview with the Hindi Rush Podcast, Chauhan said he was "not impressed" by the trailer, while also acknowledging that Ranbir looked good as Ram.He explained that his concern was less about the actor's appearance and more about the difficulty of separating an established star image from a mythological character."I saw the Ramayana trailer. Personally, I am telling you, I was not impressed," Chauhan said. He particularly criticised the presentation of Kaikeyi's character and the scene in which she asks for Ram's exile. Chauhan compared it with his own experience of playing Dashrath in BR Chopra's Ramayan in 2002."I was not impressed by Kaikeyi's scene where she asks for Ram's exile. Her dressing, for one, is very modern. They have given her a modern sari," he said. Chauhan said the emotional impact of the scene was also missing for him. He recalled how Ravi Chopra had filmed the Kaikeyi-Dashrath sequence in his version of Ramayan, saying the actors spent nearly a day and a half shooting it.According to Chauhan, the scene is central to the story because it shows how a family falls apart after Kaikeyi is influenced by Manthara. He also explained why he believes casting established Bollywood stars in mythology can be challenging."Stars have an image. It is very difficult for that star image to be accepted in mythology. If you want to play these characters, you should not have too much of an image. You should not be too exposed to the public," he said.Chauhan used his own Mahabharat experience to explain his point. He said that before playing Yudhishthir, he had worked in films and around 25 television serials, but he did not have a major public image."The image that was created for me came from Mahabharat, because before that I didn't have an image," he said. He then brought up an earlier planned Mahabharat project that had announced a star-studded cast, including Amitabh Bachchan as Bhishma Pitamah, Hrithik Roshan as Karna, Ajay Devgn in another role and Aamir Khan as Krishna. Chauhan noted that the project was eventually shelved after two years.Chauhan said Ranbir, however, already has a strong image as a Bollywood star. "Here, Ranbir Kapoor has his own image. He is a very big star. Now he is playing Ram," he said.At the same time, Chauhan was quick to clarify that he did not think Ranbir looked bad as the character. "He is looking good, no doubt. He looks very good in the get-up," he said.Chauhan added that audiences also have their own established image of Lord Ram, which can affect how they respond to a new portrayal. "We had an image of Ram in our imagination — that he would have a long nose, that he would look like a king, that kind of look," he said.However, he admitted that it would be difficult to make a final judgement based only on the trailer. "Until the film is released and we see it in its totality, it is a little difficult to comment," he said.Gajendra Chauhan praises Arun Govil's casting as DashrathWhile Chauhan had reservations about some aspects of the trailer, he was particularly impressed by the casting of Arun Govil as King Dashrath.Govil famously played Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar's iconic Ramayan, which aired in the late 1980s. "I think the best casting is Arun Govil as Dashrath," Chauhan said.He explained that Govil's history as Lord Ram makes his casting as Dashrath especially interesting. "He was Ram 40 years ago. After 40 years, he has grown into Dashrath. He has become a father," Chauhan said.Calling Govil a "fantastic actor", Chauhan said he believed he would do justice to the role. "I think that is very good casting for Ramayana. He is looking good too," he added.Take a look at Ramyana trailer here: Tiwari's Ramayana stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Raavan, Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman and Ravi Dubey as Lakshman. Arun Govil plays Dashrath, while Lara Dutta essays Kaikeyi. Rakul Preet Singh, Vivek Oberoi and Saurabh Sachdeva are also part of the cast.Ramayana: Part One is scheduled to release in India on November 8, 2026. The film will cover Ram's formative years, his relationship with Sita, their marriage and the beginning of his 14-year exile. The second part is slated for release during Diwali 2027.- EndsPublished By: shweta keshriPublished On: Aug 12, 2026 10:09 IST