Ramayana: Part 1 cast explained — Ram, Ravana, and the rest
Ramayana: Part 1 is loaded with star power—find out who’s on board.
With a sprawling ensemble led by Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash, the first chapter of Ramayana: Part 1 arrives as a live‑action take on India’s foundational epic, focusing on the prince of Ayodhya’s early years and his exile. It ’s the opening move in filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari’s two‑part vision, and it comes with a classic storyteller’s flourish: legend Amitabh Bachchan lends his voice as the narrator.
Tiwari, known to U.S. viewers for Dangal, set out to keep close to the source text, and built the film as a two‑parter to avoid compressing key chapters of the saga.
The cast
- Ranbir Kapoor — Rama (and also Parshurama); credits include Rockstar and Barfi.
- Yash — Ravana; also a producer on the film, previously seen in Ramachari and Masterpiece.
- Sai Pallavi — Sita; known for Kali, Middle Class Abbayi, Maari 2, Athiran, Love Story and Shyam Singha Roy.
- Ravi Dubey — Lakshmana; appeared on reality series Nach Baliye 5 and Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 8.
- Lara Dutta — Kaikeyi; former Miss Intercontinental 1997 and Miss Universe 2000, with film roles in Masti, No Entry and Bhagam Bhag.
- Arun Govil — Dasharatha; played Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s 1987 TV adaptation, now portraying Ram’s father.
- Rakul Preet Singh — Shurpanakha.
- Indira Krishnan — Kaushalya.
- Sonal Jha — Sumitra.
- Rajiv Kumar — Janaka.
- Adinath Kothare — Bharata.
- Nitish Sharma — Shatrughna.
- Kajal Aggarwal — Mandodari.
Legacy touches and what’s next
Sunny Deol appears as Hanuman in a cameo this time and is set to take on a much larger role in the second installment. Bachchan, who American audiences will remember as Meyer Wolfsheim in The Great Gatsby, serves as the film’s narrator. Behind the camera, Tiwari is joined by producers Namit Malhotra and Yash.
Why two parts
Tiwari says the decision to split the story was about honoring the breadth of the epic rather than racing through it.
We would have had to rush through too many things, and they had far too many valuable stuff, which is there for us to just crunch it in one and leave aside a lot of stuff.
Ramayana: Part 1 was released November 5, 2026 and is now in theaters.