Alia Bhatt As Sita, Suriya As Lord Ram: Vishnu Manchu Reveals His Dream Ramayana Cast
Kannappa actor Vishnu Manchu spoke about his dream Ramayana cast, featuring Alia Bhatt as Sita and Suriya as Lord Ram.
Ranbir Kapoor and Yash-led Ramayana is one of the most anticipated films of 2026. The film, which will be released in two parts, is helmed by Nitesh Tiwari and bankrolled by Namit Malhotra. Amid buzz around the film, Kannappa actor Vishnu Manchu spoke about his unrealised version of Ramayana, which he now wants to make starring Alia Bhatt as Sita and Suriya as Lord Ram.
Vishnu Manchu revealed that he has a fully developed script for Ramayana, which chronicles Ravana's journey from birth to death. When asked about his dream cast for the ambitious project, Vishnu told Nayandeep Rakshit on his YouTube channel, 'The only person who immediately appears in my mind for the role of Lord Rama is actor Suriya," while naming Alia Bhatt as his ideal Sita.
Vishnu also shared that he first conceptualised the idea back in 2009 and had even approached Suriya at the time. 'But, because the budgets were not working out for me, it didn't work out. The director of the film was supposed to be the legendary filmmaker Raghavendra Rao. My father was supposed to play the role of Ravana. I have the script and dialogues ready for it, but I don't know if I will ever be able to make it," he added.
The Kannappa actor also expressed his excitement about playing Lord Hanuman himself, but revealed that Raghavendra Rao disagreed, envisioning Vishnu as Indrajit instead. Vishnu, however, suggested casting Suriya's brother, actor Karthi, in the role of Indrajit. He further proposed Kalyan Ram (brother of Jr NTR) as Lakshman and veteran actor Sathyaraj as Jatayu.
Meanwhile, the Hindi version of Ramayana features a stellar cast comprising the best of bests from the world of Hindi cinema and South. It features:
● Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama
● Yash as Ravana
● Sai Pallavi as Sita
● Sunny Deol as Hanuman
● Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, Rama's loyal brother
Supporting them, is an extraordinary cast and crew. Other actors who are a part of the film, reportedly comprises Arun Govil as King Dasharath, Indira Krishnan as Queen Kaushalya, Lara Dutta as Queen Kaikeyi, Anil Kapoor as King Janak, Amitabh Bachchan as Jatayu, Adinath Kothare as Bharat, Sheeba Chaddha as Manthara, Bobby Deol as Kumbhkaran, Vijay Sethupathi as Vibhishan, Vikrant Massey as Meghnad, Rakul Preet Singh as Shurpanakha, Kajal Aggarwal as Queen Mandodari, Mohit Raina as Lord Shiva, Kunal Kapoor as Lord Indra, and Vivek Oberoi as Vidyutjihva. The makers have yet to confirm the supporting cast of the Ramayana.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios along with the 8-time Oscar-winning VFX studio DNEG, in association with Yash's Monster Mind Creations and music by Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman, Ramayana is being filmed for IMAX and will be released worldwide: Part 1 in Diwali 2026 and Part 2 in Diwali 2027.
First Published:
July 20, 2025, 16:19 IST
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