Sunny Deol is officially part of Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana; likens it to Planet of the Apes, Avatar

Sunny Deol Pic/AFP

Bollywood superstar Sunny Deol, who is busy with an extensive lineup of films, recently opened up on the much-awaited magnum opus Ramayana helmed by Nitesh Tiwari. Touted to play the role of Lord Hanuman, Sunny addressed questions about the film at the SCREEN event held at KC College in Mumbai.

Ramayana is similar to Avatar, Planet of the Apes

Sharing his excitement about the project, Sunny Deol said, "Ramayana is a long project because they're trying to make it the way Avatar and Planet of the Apes movies were made. All those technicians are a part of it. The writer and director are very clear about the way it has to be and how the characters should be presented."

In 2023, Om Raut's Adipurush, which was also based on the Hindu epic Ramayana received immense backlash for its visual effects. The film starred Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, and Saif Ali Khan. Sunny asserted that Nitesh's project would have a realistic visual appeal.

"You will also get to see the special effects that will make you believe that it has very genuinely happened rather than making one feel that these are special effects. To be honest, I'm very sure it's going to be great and I'm sure that everybody will love it," he added.

Ramayana set to be released in two parts

Last month, producer Namit Malhotra, who has previously worked on several high-profile Hollywood projects including 'Dune' and 'Inception', shared that the film was set to release in two parts. The epic saga will feature Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram. Sai Pallavi will star as Sita, and Yash as Ravana, with the first installment slated for release in 2026, and the second part will release in 2027.

In a heartfelt message accompanying the film's first poster, he wrote, "More than a decade ago, I embarked on a noble quest to bring this epic that has ruled billions of hearts for over 5000 years to the big screen. And today, I am thrilled to see it taking shape beautifully as our teams work tirelessly with only one purpose: to present the most authentic, sacred, and visually stunning adaptation of our history, our truth, and our culture - our RAMAYANA--for people across the world."

Nitesh Tiwari is known for his work on Dangal and Chhichhore.