Annu Kapoor questions Sai Pallavi’s casting in Ramayana, again says ‘Who is Nitesh Tiwari?’ | Bollywood News

3 min readNew DelhiJul 18, 2026 02:21 PM Actor Annu Kapoor has, for the past three years, maintained that he has no idea who filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari is. He has repeatedly claimed that he does not follow films and is unaware of the status of Tiwari’s ambitious Ramayana. Yet, despite those assertions, Kapoor has continued to share his views on the project whenever asked. This time, he questioned the casting of Sai Pallavi as Goddess Sita.
Continuing his criticism of the project, Annu Kapoor recently told Zoom, “Make something else. What happened to it? Have they released it yet?” Moments later, Kapoor went on to discuss what he expects from the film, adding: “What do you think they will make? Whatever they make, they will only upgrade Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana technologically and perhaps increase its scale. But you need to understand who you have chosen for the role of Sita. Goddess Sita is worshipped as a mother. People in this country worship Lord Ram as an avatar of Lord Narayan. The casting is quite questionable. Let the film release.”
Kapoor then once again claimed he had no idea who the filmmaker behind the project was. “I don’t even know who Nitesh Tiwari is. Who is he? What does he do? I don’t watch films, and I don’t think I have missed anything not watching films. Let him make the film,” he said.
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This isn’t the first time Annu Kapoor has claimed to be unfamiliar with prominent names from the film industry. In 2022, when asked about the controversy surrounding Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha, he famously responded, “Who is he? I have no idea.” Two years later, in 2024, Kapoor made headlines after dancing himself from Kangana Ranaut when asked about the actor-politician being slapped at Chandigarh airport. His response then was, “Who is she? Is she beautiful?”
Kapoor has been part of the Hindi film industry since the early 1980s and has more than 100 acting credits to his name.
Annu Kapoor has repeatedly criticised Ramayana
Kapoor has been critical of Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana ever since the project was announced in 2023. Speaking to Aaj Tak at the time, he had said in Hindi, “Who is Nitesh Tiwari? What is his claim to fame? Insulting the Hindu religion? He will be beaten with shoes. No one should insult any religion in this volatile situation. This is not the time for such analysis. Society hasn’t reached that level. You don’t have a rational perspective to comment on religion.”Story continues below this ad
Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana is being made as a two-part epic. The first instalment is scheduled to release on Diwali 2026, followed the second part on Diwali 2027. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram and Sai Pallavi as Goddess Sita, while KGF star Yash plays Ravana and is also co-producing the film alongside Namit Malhotra. Reportedly mounted on a budget of around Rs 4,000 crore, the project is among the most expensive Indian films ever made.