Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Rishab Shetty hail Ramayana trailer: ‘Incredibly convincing world’ | Bollywood News

5 min readMumbaiJul 31, 2026 05:44 PM After months of anticipation, the trailer of Ramayana was finally unveiled on Thursday morning. The first glimpse of Nitesh Tiwari’s ambitious mythological epic has since dominated social media conversations, drawing a mix of praise and criticism. While sections of the internet have questioned certain creative choices, several members of the film industry have come out in support of the project, including filmmakers Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Rishab Shetty.
Sharing the trailer on X, Vanga wrote, “YEH RAM YUG KA AARAMBH HAI.” Not just a trailer, but the eternal reminder that DHARMA will always triumph over ADHARMA.” He shared the post along with the trailer of the film, which is directed Nitesh Tiwari and stars Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash in the lead roles.

“YEH RAM YUG KA AARAMBH HAI.”Not just a trailer, but the eternal reminder that DHARMA will always triumph over ADHARMA.https://t.co/5uAgQKUlqg
— Sandeep Reddy Vanga (@imvangasandeep) July 31, 2026
‘Hats off to the team’
Actor-filmmaker Rishab Shetty, best known for the Kantara franchise, also applauded Ramayana Part 1’s scale and vision. Congratulating producer Namit Malhotra and director Nitesh Tiwari, he wrote, “It’s not easy to convince people with the stories and characters of our epics. We have all grown up lening to them, and each of us carries our own imagination of these timeless legends. Hats off to the team for creating such an incredibly convincing world. @niteshtiwari22 @malhotra_namit, take a bow.”
Shetty also acknowledged the challenge of portraying characters so deeply rooted in the country’s cultural imagination. “I can relate to the pressure an actor feels while portraying such iconic characters. Every single actor has embraced that responsibility and delivered a brilliant performance. @raviedubey @Sai_Pallavi92 @Rakulpreet.”
He went on to praise the film’s music, which marks the much-talked-about collaboration between Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman. “@arrahman @HansZimmer , every emotion has been beautifully underlined your music. What a phenomenal score.”
Lauding Ranbir Kapoor’s portrayal of Lord Rama and Yash’s Ravana, Rishab Shetty added, “#RanbirKapoor, brother, you made us truly feel the aura and divinity of Rama. @TheNameIsYash sir, my eyes grew bigger and bigger with every shot of yours. I don’t think anyone else could have done justice to that character. I am running short of words to tell more about your brilliant performance but one thing, as a kannadiga you have always made us feel proud.”

It’s not easy to convince people with the stories and characters of our epics. We have all grown up lening to them, and each of us carries our own imagination of these timeless legends. Hats off to the team for creating such an incredibly convincing world. @niteshtiwari22… pic.twitter.com/mLrLuUZqoi
— Rishab Shetty (@shetty_rishab) July 30, 2026
‘I don’t think there’s a right actor to play Lord Rama’
Even as several filmmakers and actors rallied behind the trailer, much of the online debate has centred on Ranbir Kapoor’s casting as Lord Rama. A section of social media users has argued that the actor is a misfit for the role, questioning whether he embodies the revered character. Ranbir recently addressed the criticism while promoting Ramayana at San Diego Comic-Con alongside director Nitesh Tiwari, producer Namit Malhotra and co-star Yash. Speaking to Review Nation, the actor admitted that he, too, initially questioned whether he was worthy of taking on the role before coming to terms with the responsibility it carries.
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“The first question that popped into my head was, am I worthy? Am I the right person and why am I being gifted this responsibility to not play Lord Rama but represent him? But very soon you understand the value, the responsibility and the noble intention of the filmmakers to present the story, which has been relevant for 4,000 years. It’s deeply ingrained in our subconscious. So I don’t think there’s a right actor to play Lord Rama.”Story continues below this ad
The actor added that every devotee has their own image of Lord Rama, making it impossible for any one performer to meet everyone’s expectations. What matters, he said, is approaching the role with sincerity, faith and the right intention. “All the people who have watched Ramayana, they all have their own interpretation of Lord Ram. There is no fixed face to it. Many people will probably feel like I am the wrong casting. Some people will say I am the right casting. But the honest truth is that the right casting for Ram would be any actor who has the right intentions and who has belief and faith in the journey of Lord Ram.”
Ramayana is planned as a two-part epic. The first instalment is scheduled to release on Diwali 2026. The film also stars Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana and Sunny Deol as Hanuman.