Vijay Sethupathi may join Ranbir Kapoor's 'Ramayana' as Vibhishana: Report
Nitesh Tiwari's magnum opus Ramayana has become the talk of the town. The upcoming mythological film is once again in the news for its casting. According to reports, Tamil superstar Vijay Sethupathi is in talks to portray Vibhishana's role in the film. It boasts a star-studded cast, including Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana.
Why does this story matter?
Sethupathi's popularity has doubled in the Hindi belt since his Hindi debut with Amazon Prime Video's series Farzi, co-starring Shahid Kapoor. He was recently seen in Sriram Raghavan's mystery thriller Merry Christmas alongside Katrina Kaif. If he is cast in Tiwari's mythological epic, it will mark his third Hindi feature film after Shah Rukh Khan-led Jawan and Merry Christmas.
Sethupathi 'blown away' after hearing 'Ramayana's script, claims source
As per a Pinkvilla report on Friday, Tiwari recently met Sethupathi to discuss the film's script and the vision. Tiwari "took him through the script and the world that he is looking to create with Ramayana for the spectacle," said the source, adding, that the actor "was blown away by the narration and the visuals and has shown his interest in the film." The report further claimed that Sethupathi is yet to give his nod for the movie.
Filming for 'Ramayana' set to begin in March
The much-awaited film is set to begin production in March 2024 with Kapoor and Pallavi. They, along with other cast members, will shoot until the end of May. "Yash, who plays Ravana, will join the sets of Ramayana in June/July 2024 and complete his part for the first part of the epic in 15 days," the report said, quoting the source. Filming for Ramanyana's first installment is reportedly expected to wrap up by July.
The team will spend 500 days on 'Ramayana's VFX
To create a world-class film, the team will reportedly dedicate around 500 days to perfecting the visuals. "While pre-visualization of the world is already done by DNEG, a dedicated team of the best VFX artists will exclusively work on Ramayana for 500 days starting from July," the source revealed. If everything works as planned, Ramayana may be released in theaters during Diwali 2025 weekend, it added.
More about 'Ramayana' and its casting
As per reports, both Deol brothers, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, were offered roles to play in Ramayana. While the elder sibling might be seen essaying Lord Hanuman's role, Bobby was offered Kumbhakarna's character. However, he reportedly denied the role, saying that he wouldn't want to play a negative role in a film that might feature his elder brother as a divine and positive character. The casting for Ramayana is still underway, as more revelations are expected shortly.
