Mukesh Khanna makes controversial remarks on Ranbir Kapoor playing Lord Ram: "He shouldn’t look like Raavan"

Mukesh Khanna is getting quite the attention with his controversial remarks. First, he made comments about Shatrughan Sinha's daughter, Sonakshi Sinha, which led to a strong response from Shatrughan and Sonakshi. Now, he's shifted his focus to Ranbir Kapoor.

In a recent interview, Mukesh raised some worries about Ranbir being chosen to play Lord Ram in Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming movie Ramayana. He mentioned that Ranbir's past roles, especially in Animal, might impact how the audience sees him embodying the respected figure of Lord Ram.

In a conversation with Mid-Day when questioned about Ranbir's portrayal as Lord Ram, Mukesh initially hesitated but later replied,"I won’t say anything about this, if I do, they’ll accuse me of commenting about everyone and everything. They’ve ruined my reputation. I recently commented about Jackie Shroff’s son… I’m not rude, but I speak my mind. If they’re making a Ramayana, comparisons with Arun Govil will be inevitable."

When further questioned about any other actor he considers suitable for the role, Mukesh responded by saying,“What Arun Govil did with the role has become the gold standard. All I can say is that whoever plays Ram must embody Ram; he shouldn’t look like Raavan. In their real life, if they are a (lampat chhichhora) lewd hooligan, then it will show on screen. If you’re playing Ram, you’re not allowed to party and drink. But who am I to decide who plays Ram?"

The actor also highlighted that Prabhas tried to take on the role but didn't gain acceptance from the audience. Considering this reaction, Mukesh urged filmmakers to be cautious when selecting actors for such significant roles. “He wasn’t accepted by the public, despite being such a huge star. Not because he’s a bad actor, but because he doesn’t look like Ram… The actor playing Ram now is the beacon of the Kapoor family. He’s a fine actor… But I will look at his face, and he should look like Ram. He’s just done Animal, and his negative personality was highlighted in that movie. I hope that doesn’t disturb this…" he said.

Apart from Ranbir Kapoor, Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana will feature Sai Pallavi as Sita. Arun Govil and Lara Dutta are set to play significant roles in the film. It's been rumored that Sunny Deol will portray Hanuman, but there's no official confirmation on this yet. The first part of Ramayana is scheduled to release in theaters on Diwali 2026, with the second part following on Diwali 2027.