Veteran actor Sunil Lahri has reacted to his Ramayan co-star Arun Govil playing the role of Dashrath in Nitesh Tiwari's upcoming film, Ramayan, and said he is not very happy to know that. For those unversed, while Arun had played Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan, Lahri was seen as Lakshman.
Several pictures of Arun Govil as Dashrath from the sets of the film have gone viral on social media. However, the makers have not yet officially announced the film or the star cast.
In an interview, Lahri said he is not too happy to hear that Arun Govil will be seen as Dashrath. "He is crushing his own personality. If something like that was offered to me, I wouldn’t have done that. I really respect Arun, he is like an elder brother to me. For that matter, I wouldn’t have said yes to any other role either," Lahri told Hindustan Times.
Reacting to Ranbir Kapoor playing Lord Ram in Ramayan, Lahri said he liked Ranbir's leaked pictures from the sets, however, he said he is not sure if the audience will accept him as Lord Ram, especially after his performance in a film like Animal.
"I liked his look. Since he’s so smart, he will look perfect in that role. But, I don’t know how much people will accept him as Ram. I feel you should take someone that has no image or baggage. No doubt Ranbir is a great actor with a big legacy of his family and work he has done. I’m sure he will do justice, but again, it is the perception of people that you can’t change. He has to crush his earlier performances and come out with this. And especially, after doing something like Animal recently, it will be difficult for people to see him in such an opposite role as Lord Ram," the veteran actor stated.
Last month, it was reported that Nitesh Tiwari's film has been titled God Power and it will reportedly be made with a budget of Rs 835 crore. With this, it will be the costliest Indian film of all time.
Ranbir and Sai Pallavi began shooting for their roles in April 2024. Sai will reportedly play Mata Sita in the film. Several pictures of the lead stars were leaked on social media. Reports have also stated that KGF star Yash will play Ravan in the film and Sunny Deol will be seen as Lord Hanuman.
