On the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, the makers of Ramayana unveiled their first song, “Jai Jai Ram”. Sung by Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal and composed by AR Rahman, the song has been widely praised by fans in the comments section. It also offers the first glimpse of several key characters beyond those already introduced through Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Ravi Dubey, Lara Dutta and Arun Govil. The song introduces glimpses of Bharat, Shatrughan, Urmila, Shrutakirti and Mandavi. The trailer had already offered a glimpse of characters played by Rakul Preet Singh, Yash, Sheeba Chaddha and Vivek Oberoi.

Adinath Kothare — Bharat

Bharat’s character is crucial to the epic, as it is to secure his future as king that his mother Kaikeyi asks Lord Ram to spend 14 years in exile. The role is being played by Marathi actor Adinath Kothare.

Speaking about how he bagged the role, the actor told PTI, “It was a life-transforming journey. It is one of the most privileged opportunities to witness a cinema made on that scale on Indian soil.”

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Adinath Kothare as Bharat (right) and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman (left), with Ranbir Kapoor’s Lord Rama.

He added, “I got the role through an audition. I had auditioned at Mukesh Chhabra’s office. I was earlier shortlisted to be part of one of Nitesh Tiwari’s films and I really wished I got that part. It was Tarla. But I am happy with how things turned out in the end. I think it was then that Nitesh sir had seen my work.”

Nitish Sharma — Shatrughan

Meanwhile, actor Nitish Sharma has been finalised to play Shatrughan, the youngest of the four brothers and Lakshman’s younger brother. He is also an athlete, storyteller and anchor.

Speaking about how he was cast, Nitish shared a video on Instagram in which he recalled a difficult phase in his career.

Nitish Sharma as Shatrughan (Extreme right).

“I was cast for Shatrughan in Ramayana at a time in my life when I was replaced from the biggest role of my career. It is an extremely divine story. I was extremely happy when, after multiple auditions, I finally secured a big role in one of the biggest films backed by a big production house. The entire process had taken place when I suddenly received a message that read, ‘You have been replaced.’ No explanation or justification. I was devastated. I cried for days and went to my hometown.”

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He added, “We have a Hanuman temple at home. On my mother’s advice, I started reading Ram Charitmanas. On the third day of my paath, I received a call from Mukesh Chhabra’s office. He first approached me for the role of Lakshman for a pilot film. But then Nitesh Tiwari asked me to perform as Ram. I played Ram in the pilot film, he liked my performance and promised me a role in the main cast. Cut to three months later, I got Shatrughan. Call it luck or coincidence. Now, I am part of a historic film. And the film that I lost, nobody recalls when it was released or when it flopped.”

Surbhi Das — Shrutakirti

Assamese actor Surbhi Das plays Shrutakirti, Sita’s younger sister and Shatrughan’s wife. Her journey to the film was also unexpected, as she admitted that she had no idea about the scale of the project when she auditioned.

After becoming disappointed with television for mistreatment among other reasons, Surbhi was trying her luck in digital projects and films when she auditioned for the role. Speaking to Mid-Day, the Pandya Store actor said, “At that time, I couldn’t understand that this project was worth crores. But gradually, I did, and I am excited.”

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Sonia Balani — Urmila

Sonia Balani, who has featured in shows such as Bade Achhe Lagte Hain and The Kerala Story, will play Urmila, Sita’s cousin and Lakshman’s wife. Sonia had originally wanted to play Surpanakha. However, after learning that the role had already been locked for Rakul Preet Singh, she auditioned for Urmila.

Sonia Balani as Urmila (right) with Sai Pallavi as Sita (left).

“For some reason, I really wanted to play that role. By the time I was auditioning for Urmila, I asked them if I could audition for Surpanakha as well. They told me that the role was already locked,” Sonia told Mid-Day.

Riya Kapoor — Mandavi

Riya Kapoor, who has previously appeared in brief roles in the Telugu film MissTerious and the Hindi web show Sampoorna, has been cast as Mandavi, Sita’s cousin and Bharat’s wife.

Urmila and Mandavi are sisters, born to King Kushadhwaja and Queen Chandrabhaga, who are the brother and sister-in-law of King Janak, Sita’s father.

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Riya Kapoor as Mandvi (left).

The trailer had previously introduced viewers to several other characters, including Kaushalya, played by Indira Krishan; Sumitra, played by Sonal Jha; Kaikeyi, played by Lara Dutta; and Parashuram, also played by Ranbir Kapoor. Arun Govil plays King Dashrath, while Ravi Dubey essays Lakshman and Sheeba Chaddha plays Manthara. Actor Vivek Oberoi plays the role of Vidyuthjeeva (the husband of Surpanakha).

The makers, however, are yet to reveal the look of Lord Hanuman, who will be played by Sunny Deol.