Dipika Chikhlia rose to fame in the late 80s for her portrayal of Goddess Sita in Ramanand Sagar's TV show Ramayan, based on sage Valmiki's ancient text. Dipika, in a recent interview with India Today, shared her views on Ranbir Kapoor's upcoming film based on the same epic. She said that people shouldn't tamper with religious texts.

Dipika Chikhlia cautions against tampering with Ramayan

Dipika spoke about the reason behind why she doesn't like the idea of Ramayan being remade and told, “Honestly, I am quite disillusioned by people who keep making Ramayan because I don't think you should be doing it. People are making a mess of it. I don't think people should be making Ramayan again and again because every time they make it, they want to bring in something new; a new story, a new angle, a new look. Like for Kriti Sanon, they gave her a pink coloured satin (saree in Adipurush). They gave Saif (Saif Ali Khan who played Ravana in Om Raut's film) a different look because they wanted to do something different, creatively. But then what you are doing is you're spoiling that whole impact of what Ramayan is all about.”

She further said, “One should not tamper around with religious texts. I don't think one should be doing it and just leave it aside. Just don't do this. There are so many stories that you can talk about besides Ramayan. Speak about a lot of freedom fighters. There's so much that one can talk about; unsung heroes who were valiant in history for freedom. Why only Ramayan?”

About Nitesh Tiwari's epic-drama

There have been reports from various entertainment portals that Ranbir is following a disciplined health and fitness regime for Nitesh Tiwari's film. He is adhering to a strict vegetarian diet and training rigorously to achieve the necessary physique for his character. Ranbir and Sai Pallavi's pictures as Lord Ram and Goddess Sita were leaked from the sets of the epic-saga two months ago. Arun Govil and Lara Dutta's pictures in royal attire from the period-drama were also leaked. The duo is rumoured to be playing King Dashrath and Queen Kaikeyi. There have also been reports about Bobby Deol, Vijay Sethupathi and Sunny Deol essaying Kumbhkaran, Vibhishana and Lord Hanuman, respectively. So far, Nitesh or the producers have not given any official confirmation about the same.

About Ramayan

The Ramayan was originally written by the sage Valmiki and later adapted by the sage Tulsidas as Ramcharitmanas. Both of these ancient texts narrate the story of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita, depicting the victory of good over evil. There have been many shows and films based on these texts, but Ramanand Sagar's show is still highly revered by Indians. When the series was aired on Doordarshan during the pandemic, it was once again well-received by viewers. Dipika portrayed Sita, Arun Govil portrayed Lord Ram, Sunil Lahri portrayed Laxman, and Dara Singh portrayed Lord Hanuman, and they all received huge acclaim from a diverse audience base.

The Ranbir-Sai starrer is expected to release in October 2027.

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