No alcohol or meat: Ranbir Kapoor wants to feel 'as pure as Ram' for Ramayana

Dangal director Nitesh Tiwari's upcoming film is yet another adaptation of Hindu epic, Ramayana. The filmmaker has roped in Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor, alongside South Indian actors Yash and Sai Pallavi to essay Hindu deities, Ram, Ravan and Sita respectively, as per The Indian Express. 

Ranbir is currently readying himself for his upcoming venture, Animal, starring Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol in pivotal roles. While the Tamasha star has been lauded for his portrayal as a gangster in the upcoming film, reports are suggesting that is already prepping himself for the role of a lifetime as Ram. 

According to Pinkvilla, Ranbir has completely stopped consuming meat or alcohol to be as 'pure as Ram' in his role. The source mentioned, "While the film will be shot, Ranbir will abstain completely from drinking and eating meat. These are not things he would avoid just for his public image, but also, as a dedicated actor Ranbir wants to feel as pure and clean as Sri Rama. In any case, Ranbir is not into late nights and wild parties.”

"The duo will shoot for the film from February to August 2024 before calling it a wrap for Ramayana: Part One," according to the source. The film is said to be extended into a franchise with two other parts and a spin-off about Hanuman. 

Filmfare has recently reported that Gadar 2 star, Sunny Deol, is also in the talks to join the star-studded film, and will reportedly play Hanuman in the aforementioned project. The publication reported that Sunny took an interest in the offer he came to know that the makers were planning to make a spin-off on Hanuman. 

“Hanuman symbolizes strength, and there is arguably no one in the Indian film industry better suited to encapsulate the essence of Bajrangbali than Sunny Deol. The actor has expressed genuine interest in being a part of Nitesh Tiwari’s reimagining of the Ramayana and is particularly excited about portraying Lord Hanuman. However, it is worth noting that these discussions are still in their early stages,” a source revealed.

The makers are all set to take this epic on floors next year, as per Pinkvilla. Nitesh will begin the shooting in the first quarter of 2024 with Ranbir, Sai and Yash. 

A source told the news portal, “Nitesh Tiwari and team have been working actively on creating the world of Ramayana and the blueprint is finally all ready. The VFX plates are prepared by the Oscar Winning Company, DNEG and it's a world that would blow away the minds of audiences. However, the strength of Ramayana won't be the visual but the simplistic storytelling and compelling inter-character emotions.”

The source added, “Ranbir and Sai will start shooting for the film around the month of February 2024. The first part of the trilogy will focus more on Lord Rama and Sita, leading towards the conflict of Sita Haran. The duo will be shooting for the film from February till August 2024, before calling it a wrap for Ramayana: Part One."

Alia Bhatt was previously in talks with the production team for the three-part silver screen retelling of the story of Ramayana, but it was recently reported that Alia turned down the role. The report cited ‘date issues’ as the reason behind Alia’s withdrawal from the project that stars her husband as the Hindu deity, Ram.

According to an insider, Alia “was in talks for the role of Goddess Sita, but the collaboration did not work out because of date issues". An ambitious project like Ramayana requires a lot of preparation and the pre-production workload has resulted in the shooting schedule being pushed back to 2024. 

It was previously rumoured that Yash had opted out of the film, but an inside source revealed that those rumours were false and that the actor was still engaged in deliberation talks with filmmakers and had passed his initial look test for the villainous part.

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