Singer Chinmayi Sripaada has spoken out in defense of Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor, who has been facing online backlash over his casting as Lord Ram in Nitesh Tiwari's much-anticipated film Ramayana. The controversy erupted after the makers recently released a first glimpse of the film, featuring Ranbir and Yash.
A section of social media users began trolling Ranbir by resurfacing an old interview where the actor had mentioned that he consumes beef. One particular post on X (formerly known as Twitter) read, "Beef eater will be playing the role of Bhagvan Ram now! 🤦 What’s wrong with Bollywood?" The tweet included images of Ranbir and Sai Pallavi from the Ramayana set.
Responding to the post, Chinmayi slammed the hypocrisy of such statements. She replied without naming anyone, "A babaji who uses the name of God can be a rapist and he can keep getting parole to get votes in bhakt India - however what someone eats is a big problem."
Check out her post here:
When a user asked her, "How one bad thing can justify another bad thing?", Chinmayi replied, "Nice. So someone playing a ROLE is the same ‘bad’ as a rapist campaigning for votes amongst you. You deserve to have Ram Rahim as your local MP and visit your house personally."
Chinmayi's comment has sparked a debate on social media, with many applauding her opinion while others remain divided over the casting.
Despite the noise, Ramayana, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, continues to remain one of the most awaited Indian films, promising a grand retelling of the epic.
Ramayana first look video
The first glimpse of Ramayana, starring Ranbir as Lord Ram, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana, was unveiled by the makers on July 3. The video revealed the first official looks of Ranbir and Yash. Netizens have been praising their looks and they have left no stones unturned to express their excitement.
Ramayana also stars Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Rakul Preet Singh as Surpanakha, and Kajal Aggarwal as Mandodari, among others.
Ramayana has been produced by Namit Malhotra, and it will be released in two parts. While the first part will hit the big screens on Diwali 2026, the second part is slated to release in Diwali 2027.
