Ranbir Kapoor looking good as Lord Ram in 'Ramayana': Actor Arun Govil

Mumbai, Feb 1 (PTI) Veteran actor Arun Govil, known for his iconic portrayal of Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar's "Ramayan", has praised the upcoming cinematic adaptation of epic and endorsed its lead Ranbir Kapoor, saying that only a "good actor and a good human being" can convincingly play god on screen.

Billed as an ambitious cinematic event, the film features "KGF" star Yash as Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Goddess Sita, Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman and Ravie Dubey as Lord Lakshman. It is directed by Nitesh Tiwari of "Dangal" fame.

"The 'Ramayana' by Nitesh Tiwari looks very good. It has been made with a lot of hard work by Nitesh Tiwari, the actors and the entire team. The main actor Ranbir Kapoor is looking very good as Lord Ram. He is a good actor and good human being.

"To play a God, you’ve to have a good, pure soul, and you have to be a good human being also," Govil, who is playing the role of King Dasharatha, Lord Ram’s father, in "Ramayana", told PTI.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a FWICE and Cine Artiste Welfare Trust (CAWT) event held last week.

The actor, best known for his portrayal of Lord Ram in the 1987 television epic, noted that comparisons between different adaptations were inevitable due to the lasting influence of Ramanand Sagar's "Ramayan".

The iconic series also starred Deepika Chikhalia as Sita, Sunil Lahri as Laxman and Dara Singh as Hanuman.

"Comparisons are always made when a standard is set and no one should feel bad that I'm being compared. I believe that in order to play the role of God, you should look like that. The look is very important. When people see you, they should see God in you, and think, 'God can be like that'," he added.

That said, the 68-year-old dismissed any attempts to draw parallel between the upcoming "Ramayana" and the 2022 film "Adipurush" -- starring Prabhas and criticised for its portrayal of iconic characters and visual effects -- by describing them as two fundamentally different projects.

"There is a lot of difference between 'Ramayana' and 'Adipurush'," he added.

Govil, playing the role of King Dasharatha in Tiwari's two-part cinematic epic, said he had a "good" experience working with the whole team. "I finished work on the film long back. The experiences from that film, and with that unit are good for me,” he concluded.

"Ramayana" is produced by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios and DNEG, in association with Yash's Monster Mind Creations, the film is a two-part live-action saga set 5,000 years ago and rooted in one of Indian mythology's most enduring epics.

The first part is slated to release worldwide in IMAX during Diwali 2026, with part two following in Diwali 2027. PTI KKP MG MG MG MG