Kajal Aggarwal joins Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana as Mandodari opposite Yash's Ravana
Nitesh Tiwari's screen adaptation of Ramayan is one of the most eagerly anticipated movies of Bollywood. Ranbir Kapoor is all set to play the role of Lord Ram while Sai Pallavi will be playing Sita. If the latest reports are to believed Kajal Aggarwal has also joined the star-studded cast of the film.
(Also read: Sunny Deol confirms being part of Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, says 'they are trying to make it like Avatar')
According to a news report by India Today, Kajal will be seen playing the role of Mandodari opposite Yash who will take on the character of Ravana in the film. According the the report, Kajal has started shooting for the film already.
"The role of Mandodari in Ramayana is incredibly crucial. Therefore, it was imperative for the makers to cast a well-established leading actress who could fully embody the complexities and significance of Ravana's wife, opposite Yash," a source told India Today.
"The makers sought an actress with a strong presence across languages. While many actresses were considered, including those from Bollywood, Kajal Aggarwal's celebrated name in both the North and the South made her the ideal choice," a production insider added.
Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana boasts an ensemble cast, including Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram and Yash as Ravana. The film also stars Sunny Deol, Ravi Dubey, and Lara Dutta in pivotal roles. It is set to release in two parts, with the first part scheduled for Diwali 2026 and the second part in 2027.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, producer Namit Kapoor said, Namit says his team understands the need to tell the story properly. "We're trying to be very careful and cautious, that we do it with the utmost care and with the utmost sensitivity. Because, right, you know, this opportunity does not come again and again, and it's the moment for India right now."
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Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Book Box: The courage to be Vaishnavi Patel
A civil rights lawyer by day, an author by night, Vaishnavi Patel constantly challenges the mainstream. Her first book gives us a contrarian version of the Ramayana—letting wicked stepmother Kaikeyi tell her side of the story. On a recent Friday evening, we gathered on Zoom—Vaishnavi logged in from New Orleans, Louisiana. The book club readers joined from three continents—Toronto, London, India, and Singapore. Here are edited excerpts from our conversation: I was the first person in my family born outside of India, born here shortly after my parents immigrated. My parents tried really hard to give me as much of their culture as possible, especially my mom who is Marathi, and she wanted to make sure I spoke at least some Marathi, and my aji would come six months every year and stay with me, so we were as close as we could be with that distance as a family. As a child, I was always a big reader. I also would read a lot of books here from the library. And also I'd read a lot of Amar Chitra Katha and those sorts of books as well, or comics. So it was kind of a nice blend of everything. The Amar Chitra Katha comics were my first exposure to Indian epics, but even then, I remember questioning certain portrayals—why some characters were always 'good' and others 'evil.' That definitely influenced how I approached Kaikeyi's voice. What was the specific moment that sparked the idea for Kaikeyi? The seeds of Kaikeyi were planted seventeen years ago in a discussion between my mother and my grandmother. One particular summer, my grandmother told us the story of how the noble prince Rama was exiled by his jealous stepmother Kaikeyi. At this, my mother stepped in to add that Kaikeyi had actually helped Rama. Without Kaikeyi, my mother pointed out, Rama would have never achieved his destiny by slaying the demon king Ravana, his main adversary in the Ramayana. My grandmother disagreed, arguing that it was cruel to exile your child, no matter the circumstance. And then we moved on. But their minor dispute stuck with me for years, and I would periodically search for stories told from or studying Kaikeyi's perspective to make sense of the contradiction. I never found them. Eventually, I decided to write my own. You wrote Kaikeyi when you were 23, in your first semester of law school—a demanding program. How did you manage that balance? I really don't know how I did it, because I was living alone and presumably had law school work to do, but I've blocked out that time in my memory. Then as now, I write every night, from eight to ten—I just put aside all my other work and do my writing. I feel that writing has actually been very helpful for me mentally because it's a kind of release. The writing style is very different from the law. It's very emotional—it's almost therapeutic. Nowadays, I'm also very fortunate that my husband does all of the cooking and the cleanup, so I can come home and write for two hours, and I will have a meal, and it will all be taken care of. And I mention that only to say that I think that male writers or workers throughout history have always been greatly aided by their wives supporting them and doing all of that work for them, and it's kind of the invisible work that makes their work possible. And I don't want his work to be invisible, so I have to give him that credit—that without him, I probably would not have been able to write more than one book. Your civil rights background clearly influences your storytelling. Can you give us a specific example of how your legal work shaped how you approached characters like Kaikeyi and Ram? Everybody has a story. And there is a side that ultimately is judged to be the correct—the side that the jury picks in a trial. But the other side has presented a very, very different story and characterization of events, and they probably have some evidence for their side of the story, and they probably have some very credible witnesses. And so though we still picked the other side, that doesn't make their story completely false. That's kind of what happens in Kaikeyi—you probably shouldn't believe 100% of everything Kaikeyi says, because she is a very self-justifying character. She always has a reason she'll give you for everything that she did, and she believes that she's right about everything, and she's probably not. So also, you know, Ram's side of the story—that is, Valmiki's Ramayana—is also an equally plausible interpretation of the external events that happen. Working on cases involving marginalized voices—where the system often dismisses their perspective—made me think about how history is written by those in power. Kaikeyi is condemned in the Ramayana, but what if she had a chance to defend herself? That's the core of what I wanted to explore—not to say she's innocent, but to ask, Why did she do what she did? It's the principle that everybody has their own side of the story—and in law, you see a full presentation of both sides, and then you have to choose one. This is very much the thought behind my story of Kaikeyi. How did you get your first publishing break? I just cold-emailed agents. Many agents have a process for contacting them—you just put yourself in there, in what they call the slush pile; if they like the first few chapters, they'll ask for more. And that's what I did, and I was very lucky that it worked out for me. I do think luck plays a big role, like it's about getting the right person at the right time. Similarly for my editor—an Indian American woman who, at that time, was looking for myth retellings from Hindu mythology because she felt that myth retellings from Greek, Roman and Western European mythology were very represented, and there was nothing from Indian mythology. The cover of Kaikeyi is so beautiful. My editor sent me the cover, saying, 'What do you think? If you don't like it, we can make some changes.' And I said, 'Stop, I love it. Don't change anything.' I think I benefited greatly from my editor being Indian American and having a vision for it and wanting to make sure that the cover looked Indian and had this sort of mythic quality to it. You decided to write Kaikeyi as a first-person account? When Kaikeyi's voice came to me in first person, I felt if I'm going to tell her story, I have to tell it through her eyes directly. It was critical for me, to be in her head, to actually get her hopes and dreams, and most importantly, understand her fears. So you understand her motivations, what she's trying to react to, and why she's doing what she's doing. In your portrayal of Kaikeyi, she has a magic ability, one you call the 'binding plane,' which helps her connect with people and even influence them. I love fantasy and magic and wanted an element of this in the story. But I didn't want it to be something that was completely just divorced from the story. I wanted it to be something based on maybe, you know, yoga practices or meditation, energy, etc. And then I had the idea for the binding plane, in part because Kaikeyi starts out her story wanting to not be like a woman. She sees so much value in hunting and fighting and riding and things that are more masculine practices in that time period. But ultimately, her great power is her ability to see and use relationships and subtleties and influence—which, especially in that time period, was considered a means of women's power. You portrayed Ram with human frailties. Did you expect the intense backlash that followed? I did get a significant amount of backlash when Kaikeyi came out. It was a pretty intense response—I got death and rape threats, but thankfully, it was all online. I tried to keep details about where I live off the internet, so I was fairly protected. It was my mom who got very worried, and she was more right than me, which is always the case. I should always listen to her more than I do. How did you cope mentally with that level of hostility toward your work? Kaikeyi came out in April, and then in May, I graduated law school, and then in June, I got married, and then in July, I took the bar exam to become a lawyer. And I think that really helped—that I didn't have too much time to think about it. My sister helped me manage my social media, so a lot of the stuff that came through was filtered, and I didn't really have time to get upset about it. It can be really hard if you're just fully invested—it can hurt your ability to write again. I've seen this happen to friends of mine, where they get afraid to write anything potentially controversial again. I feel lucky that that didn't happen to me. Tell us about the situation with publishing Kaikeyi in India. What exactly happened there? I'm so glad that so many of you are based in India and were able to get the book, because there's no official version in India. It was actually meant to be published—it was set to release the week before Diwali 2022. I asked, Are you sure about this timing? And the publishers were like, Yes, people will buy it as a gift for Diwali. So they had printed the copies, and the copies were in India. And then ten days before publication, I was told, an Independent Review Board has said that this book is religiously offensive, and we're going to pulp all the copies. So they gave a cancel order, and the books were—I was told that they were pulped, which means that they were literally, physically destroyed. But thankfully, we live in a very interconnected world, so it's no longer the case that if a book isn't being published by an Indian publisher, it's inaccessible. You can get it imported through a lot of other places. So it's not a full ban, but it has made it harder because the book is much more expensive. In your story, the character of Ravana is different—he is Sita's father and is protective of her. How much of this draws from existing versions of the Ramayana versus your own invention? This is not the Ravana in the original Valmiki Ramayana. But there are Ramayanas spread across South India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia. Each of these different areas put different spins on the story according to their own principles, traditions, and how they viewed the world. And so in some versions of the story that are told in Southeast Asia, such as, for example, the Thai Ramayan, they have Ravana as Sita's father. And in that version of the story, Ravana is told that your daughter is going to be your doom. And so he basically puts her into the earth, and the earth brings her north. And then later, in some versions, he recognizes it's his daughter, and he's trying to be like, If my daughter is going to kill me, then I'm going to imprison her. And in some versions, he doesn't recognize that it's his daughter. But either way, it's the classic idea that in trying to protect yourself or in trying to avoid your destiny, you, in fact, bring your destiny upon you. However, I did a lot of research on these other versions of the Ramayana and drew on portraying some elements from those into Kaikeyi. I wanted to weave in these nuances rather than sticking to a single 'authorised' version. Tell us about your new book. I studied colonial history a lot in school, and I like to tell women's stories of rising up and fighting back. I do this in Ten Incarnations of Rebellion, a reimagining of a portion of India's independence movement. And you are working on a fourth book as well? It's called We Dance Upon Demons, and it is about a young woman who works at an abortion clinic that's being threatened by demons. So it is very much diving into American politics, and specifically the abortion fight, on which we are an incredibly backward country. I used to volunteer at an abortion clinic, and one of my areas of civil rights law that I have worked on is abortion rights. Given all the controversy and even threats you've faced, what gives you the courage to keep writing these challenging stories? What do you hope readers ultimately take away from your work? You should tell my mom that, because she is very much like, Please stop writing, stop writing these dangerous books. She is very supportive, but she's just worried about me. I'm interested in women's rights, gender justice, voting rights, how democracy works and the interest in those topics transcend law, so they go into my writing quite a bit. I'm interested in women's stories, in their side of the story, in hearing their voices. I'd love for readers to think about motivation behind actions, and to think about different perspectives and for readers to have conversations across generations on these issues. That's exactly what you dream of as an author. (Sonya Dutta Choudhury is a Mumbai-based journalist and the founder of Sonya's Book Box, a bespoke book service. Each week, she brings you specially curated books to give you an immersive understanding of people and places. If you have any reading recommendations or reading dilemmas, write to her at sonyasbookbox@ The views expressed are personal.) Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines to 100 year archives.
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt's Rs 250 Crore Mansion Is Finally Ready; Couple To Shift Soon
Last Updated: Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt's Rs 250 crore mansion, inherited from Ranbir's grandparents, is reportedly complete. The couple might move into their new space anytime soon. Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt have been waiting for the completion of their dream house, estimated to be worth a whopping Rs 250 crore. The property, which originally belonged to Ranbir's grandparents, Raj Kapoor and Krishna Raj Kapoor, was inherited by Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor, Ranbir's parents, in 1980. A video shows that the couple's six-story luxury mansion has finally been completed. As a result, there are high chances you'll see the couple move into their new house soon on an near-auspicious date. A post on Sunday made by celebrity paparazzo Viral Bhayani claimed that Alia and Ranbir's new house is finally complete. A video of their mansion shows potted green-coloured plants decorating each of their balconies, breaking the monotony of the grey look. 'New beginnings in a dream home! Alia & Ranbir's love nest is finally ready," read the caption. Take a look: Both Alia, Ranbir, their daughter Raha had been frequently spotted during the construction of their new house. Neetu Kapoor, too, had been clicked numerous times by paps. Ranbir and Alia's luxurious bungalow, named in honour of Ranbir's grandmother Krishna Raj Kapoor, is more than just a lavish property – it's a heartfelt gift to their daughter, Raha Kapoor. Valued at Rs 250 crore, the six-storey home is set to be registered in Raha's name, reflecting the couple's emotional investment in the residence. Last year, reports stated that the couple is most probably to celebrate Diwali in their new home. However, the house still needed time for completion. A Hindustan Times has quoted an insider saying, 'The ongoing work on their bungalow is almost done, with the finishing going on, which should take one month or so. After the work is done and they get a green signal, the couple will move into the place. It is the moment they have been looking forward to", adding, 'In fact, they will most probably be celebrating Diwali with Raha in the new house this year." 'The bungalow holds an emotional significance to the family, which is why everyone is so involved in the construction. Ranbir and Alia have made sure they take out time from their busy schedule and check the work status," said the insider. On the work front, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are sharing screen space together again after Brahmastra, in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Love & War. The film also stars Vicky Kaushal. About the Author First Published: June 08, 2025, 17:56 IST
India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
Cricketer Rinku Singh gets engaged to Samajwadi Party MP Priya Saroj in Lucknow
Star India batter Rinku Singh began a new chapter off the field as he got engaged to Member of Parliament Priya Saroj in a private ceremony on June 8 at The Centrum Hotel in Lucknow. The intimate event was attended by close family members, friends, and select guests from the worlds of politics and the ceremony, Rinku, accompanied by his family, visited the Chaudhera Wali Vichitra Devi Temple in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, to seek blessings. The couple arrived at the venue together, dressed in coordinated white and pink engagement took place in Fulcurn Hall, adorned with floral decorations and vibrant lighting. With a capacity of over 300, it welcomed an elite guest list that included several notable names from cricket and politics. A video from the event has surfaced, capturing a tender moment in which the couple was seen holding hands. BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla attended the ceremony with many Samajwadi Party leaders (India Today Photo) The engagement was graced by a host of distinguished guests: former cricketers Praveen Kumar and Piyush Chawla, Uttar Pradesh Ranji team captain Aryan Juyal, and political leaders including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, MPs Jaya Bachchan, Dimple Yadav, and Iqra Hasan — a close friend of Priya. Senior Samajwadi Party leader Professor Ram Gopal Yadav and Congress leader Rajeev Shukla were also in attendance. advertisementA grand 12x16-foot stage served as the centrepiece of the venue. The menu, inspired by traditional Lucknowi cuisine, was specially curated by the couple. Guests were treated to an all-vegetarian spread blending regional and global flavours. Awadhi delicacies were paired with Bengali sweets like rasgulla and kaju-paneer rolls with a variety of international starters — from European to Asian. Indian cricketer Rinku Singh and Samajwadi Party MP Priya Saroj got engaged on June 8 (India Today Photo) Live counters served a unique welcome drink named kuhara, a coconut-based speciality. Rinku's personal favourites — paneer tikka and matar malai — featured prominently on the menu, alongside malai kofta, kadai paneer, veg manchurian, and spring accommodate guests, 15 rooms were booked at The Centrum, with five specially reserved for Rinku's closest friends. Security was tight, with access permitted only to those carrying barcoded passes. A team of private security personnel, supported by local police, maintained high alert throughout the event to ensure the safety of all VIP attendees. Rinku Singh and Priya Saroj posing for photographers (India Today Photo) On the professional front, Rinku had a relatively quiet IPL 2025 season with the Kolkata Knight Riders, scoring 206 runs at an average of 29.42 and a strike rate of 153.73. The team finished eighth on the points table with 12 points and a net run rate of -0.305, winning just five of their 14 a subdued IPL campaign, Rinku remains a key member of India's T20I squad. In 30 T20 Internationals, he has scored 507 runs from 22 innings at an average of 46.09 and a strike rate of 165.14, including three half-centuries. The 27-year-old made his debut in the format against Ireland in 2023 and continues to pursue his maiden international has also represented India in two One-Day Internationals and boasts a strong domestic record. In 52 List A innings, he has amassed 1,899 runs at an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 94.8.
