Amid trolling over Ramayana’s costumes, a look back at how Ramanand Sagar got it right | Bollywood News

4 min readNew DelhiJul 31, 2026 07:30 PM The much-awaited trailer of Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana was finally unveiled the makers on Thursday to mixed reactions. While many praised the mythological drama, others criticised the costumes of certain characters, particularly Kaikeyi (Lara Dutta) and Sita (Sai Pallavi). Amid the backlash, here’s a look back at how Ramanand Sagar got the costumes right in his iconic television series Ramayan in the late 1980s.
Netizens question Ramayana’s looks
The trailer of Ramayana quickly sparked intense debate on social media, with Lara Dutta’s first look as Queen Kaikeyi emerging as one of the biggest talking points. Many users criticised her side-combed hair, modern designer saree, red bindi, and minimal jewellery. “Modern saree, salon styled side-combed hair… is this Treta Yuga or 2026?” an X user asked, while sharing a picture of her appearance. “Dutta as Kaikeyi is such a disappointment, giving Ektaa Kapoor serial vibe,” another user wrote.
Many viewers also criticised the costume design for Sita, played Sai Pallavi. The saree draping choices and styling were heavily questioned on Reddit. “Forget horical accuracy, they forgot the basics of styling even….. Even something as simple as don’t give heavy chokers and high necklines to a person with a short neck,” a person commented. “Even the BLOUSE! Long-sleeved blouses did not ex back then and it isn’t part of our culture actually,” another user comment read.
ALSO READ | Nitish Bharadwaj predicts Oscar glory for Ramayana: ‘Ranbir now at par with Ranveer’

In the Ramayana trailer, this is what Ram’s mother is shown as wearing. This saree looks like a present day saree. How can a woman from 1500 BC to ~5000 BC wear such sarees? The clothing department need to do their research. pic.twitter.com/8p7poKmcua
— Sanatani Warrior ⚔️🚩 (@Maratha_Ren) July 30, 2026
The costumes for Ramayana have been designed popular designer duo Rimple and Harpreet Narula, who previously worked on Padmaavat and Heeramandi. The film’s jewellery has been crafted Tribe Amrapali, which created over 5,000 custom-designed, handcrafted pieces for the mythological epic.
Besides Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Lara Dutta, Ramayana also features Ravi Dubey, Vivek Oberoi, Yash, and Sunny Deol, among others. The film is set to hit theatres during Diwali this year.
Costumes and jewellery in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan
Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, which originally aired from January 25, 1987, to July 31, 1988, set a benchmark in every aspect-from casting and performances to costumes and jewellery. The 78-episode series was reportedly made on a budget of just Rs 7-9 crore, with each episode costing around Rs 9 lakh. In contrast, Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana, backed Namit Malhotra and Yash, is reportedly being made on a budget of Rs 4,000 crore for its two parts.

The new Ramayana teaser is visually spectacular, with world-class VFX and scale. But Ramayana is more than a cinematic spectacle—it is faith, values, and devotion.
Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan wasn’t remembered for technology; it became timeless because it touched millions of hearts…
— Shwet’s 🇮🇳 ( Modi ka Parivaar ) (@Savalgishweta) July 31, 2026
Ramanand Sagar personally designed everything in the 80s show, from costumes to jewellery. The costumes of the primary cast – Deepika Chikhaliya (Sita), Arun Govil (Ram) and Sunil Lahiri (Laxman), were designed Maganlal Dresswala, a 100-year-old company, which is the oldest costume supplier in Indian cinema. The company is also led in the Limca Book of World Records for working on the costumes for India’s first talking film Alam Ara. It also designed costumes for BR Chopra’s Mahabharata.
Ramanand Sagar personally oversaw the design of every visual element in the 1980s series. The costumes for the principal cast, including Deepika Chikhaliya (Sita), Arun Govil (Ram), and Sunil Lahri (Lakshman), were created Maganlal Dresswala, a century-old company regarded as India’s oldest costume supplier for the film industry. The company later went on to create the costumes for B R Chopra’s Mahabharat.

Every time someone tries to bring Ramayan to the big screen, my respect for Ramanand Sagar grows 🫡♥️ pic.twitter.com/5NTcUgR4vx
— Aman_Chain 🏳️ (@Amanprabhat9) July 30, 2026
In an earlier interview with MensXP, Vipinbhai Patel, son of Ramayan art director Hirabhai Patel, revealed that Ramanand Sagar had commissioned his father to design the jewellery for the entire cast. He also said Hirabhai designed several of the show’s iconic sets, including Ravana’s palace, Lanka, and Ashoka Vatika.