Veteran actor Mukesh Khanna, who recently passed a 'distasteful' comment on Sonakshi Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha, is once again making headlines for his jibe at Ranbir Kapoor. In one of his latest interviews, he reacted to Ranbir playing Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana.

Initially, he refused to comment on Ranbir's casting, however, he later stated that the actor's performance in his latest film Animal might go against him as people will draw parallels between both the roles.

During an interview with MidDay, Khanna said, "I won’t say anything about this, if I do, they’ll accuse me of commenting about everyone and everything. They’ve ruined my reputation. I recently commented about Jackie Shroff’s son… I’m not rude, but I speak my mind. If they’re making a Ramayana, comparisons with Arun Govil will be inevitable."

The Shaktimaan actor further stated that Prabhas was not accepted by the audience as Lord Rama in Adipurush because he didn't look like him. "He (Prabhas) wasn’t accepted by the public, despite being such a huge star. Not because he’s a bad actor, but because he doesn’t look like Ram… The actor playing Ram now is the beacon of the Kapoor family. He’s a fine actor… But I will look at his face, and he should look like Ram. He’s just done Animal, and his negative personality was highlighted in that movie. I hope that doesn’t disturb this."

"What Arun Govil did with the role has become the gold standard. All I can say is that whoever plays Ram must embody Ram; he shouldn’t look like Raavan. In their real life, if they are a (lampat chhichhora) lewd hooligan, then it will show on screen. If you’re playing Ram, you’re not allowed to party and drink. But who am I to decide who plays Ram?" he stated.

About Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana

Ramayana Part 1 is all set to hit the big screens during Diwali 2026 and in Diwali 2027, the second part of the film will be released. The film's first poster has also been unveiled officially by the makers.

Besides Ranbir, Sai Pallavi will be seen as Mata Sita, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, and Yash as Raavan. Lara Dutta will portray Kaikeyi, Sunny Deol will take on the role of Hanuman, and Sheeba Chaddha will appear as Manthara.

Earlier this year, a leaked photo from the set showing Ranbir and Sai in full costume went viral on social media.