Ever since the Ramayana trailer was released, Ranbir Kapoor's casting as Lord Rama has received mixed reactions from a section of the audience. Earlier, rumours were rife that Mahesh Babu was the makers' first choice for the role. Putting the speculation to rest, director Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra have now confirmed that Ranbir was always their first and only choice to play Lord Rama.

Makers on casting for Ramayana

In an interview with Screen Rant during San Diego promotions, the makers were asked about the casting process. To this, Namit said, "For both of us, from the get-go, it was to see Lord Ram being essayed by Ranbir. It was a natural choice. He's not an easy actor to cast. He is a big star, and who knows what he was doing back in the day. So, before we could go to option two or option three, it was like option one - 'It is him... let's see if we can get him.' If he says no, then we'll go to the next, but at least make sure that we give it our best shot."