Ramayana: Nitesh Tiwari confirms Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt as play Ram and Sita, shoot to start in December

The internet has been buzzing in recent months with the news that Nitesh Tiwari's ambitious film, Ramayana, has been put on hold since the producers are unable to locate an actor to play the role of Raavan. 

On June 7, the grapevine made it to the news, causing a commotion in the industry. On the same day, Alia Bhatt was sighted with filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari, generating speculation about their plans. The latest word in the industry is that Ramayan is on track, with director Nitesh Tiwari planning to start shooting in December 2023.

“Over the last few weeks, Ranbir Kapoor has been spotted visiting the DNEG office, to check on the progress of Ramayana. The pre-visualization of the world has already been done and the team is now doing look tests with Ranbir to play Lord Ram. The purpose of the visit has been to get the right look for Ranbir as on getting it right, he will then step into the physical transformation aspect,” according to a report by Pinkvilla.

Both Ranbir and Alia have been visiting the "Ramayana Office" in the last several weeks, where Nitesh Tiwari, Namit Malhotra, Madhu Mantena, and his crew have developed a whole pre-visualized universe of the epic. It's in the same building as the RSVP office, which sparked talk of Ranbir and Alia doing something for Ronnie Screwvala.

While Ranbir plays Lord Ram, Alia Bhatt has been cast as Sita in this Nitesh Tiwari epic, and an official announcement is due this Diwali. "Alia was the first choice for Ramayana, but the dates couldn't match back then for a variety of reasons." Despite the delays, Nitesh and producer Madhu Mantena have returned to their initial choice, and the actress is delighted to play a character that will stay with her for the rest of her life. "The same goes for Ranbir, who is charged up for Shri Ram's new divine journey," the insider said, adding that the casting is a match made in heaven.