As excitement continues to grow around Nitesh Tiwari’s ambitious adaptation of ‘Ramayana‘, Deepika Chikhalia, who became synonymous with Sita through Ramanand Sagar‘s legendary television series ‘Ramayan’, has shared her views on the new cast. Speaking about Sai Pallavi taking on the iconic role, Deepika praised the actor’s talent while admitting she is waiting to see how she embodies the character on screen.
Deepika Chikhalia weighs in on Sai Pallavi’s casting
Deepika had words of appreciation for Sai Pallavi’s acting abilities but believes audiences can only judge the performance once the film is released.Speaking to Variety India, she shared, “I have seen her work. She’s a phenomenal actor. But I don’t know how she’ll look like Sita. Once we see her, we’ll know. At the moment, I have no clue. The description of Sita in Tulsidas’ ‘Ramayan’ was that of a woman with almond eyes, a certain height, hair and skin. That’s what Ramanand Sagar was looking for, and he saw it in me. I know all of them are good actors. If they fit the bill, then it’s good.“
Deepika Chikhalia’s first day on the set wasn’t as Sita
Recalling her early days on Ramanand Sagar’s classic television series, Deepika revealed that she first appeared as Goddess Lakshmi before eventually being cast as Sita.She shared, “My first day on ‘Ramayan’ was not as Sita. I was Goddess Lakshmi. We did that one episode for Doordarshan for seven days. I was only pressing Lord Vishnu’s feet for those seven days. I didn’t know what the show’s future would be. Papaji (Ramanand Sagar) said that if this gets approved, ‘Ramayan’ will be made. That’s what it was.”
The original ‘Ramayan’ still holds a special place for Deepika Chikhalia
Asked about Arun Govil, who portrayed Lord Ram in the television series and is now playing King Dashrath in ‘Ramayana’, Deepika reflected on the lasting impact of the original show and why she feels its legacy remains unmatched.Chikhalia said, “We’re known for what we are. I’m known as Sita. Sometimes, people forget my name, but they remember that I played Sita. So, that’s my identity. I don’t know why anybody would want to lose that. Of course, as an actor, you want to play different roles. Nobody wants to get typecast. I think our ‘Ramayan’ will weigh very heavily on the ‘Ramayana’ film. Our ‘Ramayan’ was also watched by the new generation when it aired on Doordarshan during the pandemic. So, it’s very difficult to erase that. Sitaji with curly hair is not mentioned in ‘Ramayan’.”
Typecasting changed Deepika Chikhalia’s career
Deepika admitted that portraying Sita brought immense recognition but also made it difficult for filmmakers to imagine her in different roles.She explained, “I didn’t get any work. In fact, I’m asking people for work even now. Ranbir has acted in ‘Barfi!’, ‘Sanju’ and ‘Animal’, and now he is playing Lord Rama. That’s the beauty of today’s time. It wasn’t like that during our days. We all got typecast. It’s still very tough to get work because people can’t see me as anyone else. That’s why I got into production.”
‘Ramayana’ cast and release date
Ramayana boasts one of the biggest ensembles assembled for an Indian film. Ranbir Kapoor stars as Lord Rama, while Sai Pallavi portrays Sita. Yash will feature as the antagonist, Ravana, with Sunny Deol playing Lord Hanuman and Ravi Dubey essaying the role of Lakshman. The cast also includes Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Rakul Preet Singh as Shurpanakha, Kajal Aggarwal as Mandodari, Arun Govil as King Dashrath, Vivek Oberoi as Vidyutjihva, Kunal Kapoor as Lord Indra, Adinath Kothare as Bharata, while Anupam Kher lends his voice to Jatayu.
