You walk out of Ramayana: Part 1 and the first thing you do is open Google: “Wait, who played Kaikeyi?” “Was that Vivek Oberoi?” “Who’s the voice of Jatayu?” Nitesh Tiwari has packed this film with one of the biggest ensembles Indian cinema has ever put together, and half the fun is spotting faces under the crowns and beards.
So here is your complete Ramayana Part 1 cast guide: who plays whom, who these characters are in the epic, and our quick take on how each one lands on screen.
Ramayana Part 1 Cast at a Glance
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Ranbir Kapoor | Ram and Parshuram |
| Yash | Ravan |
| Sai Pallavi | Sita |
| Ravie Dubey | Lakshman |
| Sunny Deol | Hanuman (post-credits) |
| Arun Govil | King Dashrath |
| Lara Dutta | Kaikeyi |
| Indira Krishnan | Kaushalya |
| Sonal Jha | Sumitra |
| Sheeba Chaddha | Manthara |
| Adinath Kothare | Bharat |
| Nitish Sharma | Shatrughna |
| Rakul Preet Singh | Shurpanakha |
| Kajal Aggarwal | Mandodari |
| Shobana | Kaikasi (Ravan’s mother) |
| Vivek Oberoi | Vidyutjihva |
| Saurabh Sachdeva | Mareech |
| Harish Uthaman | Vibhishan |
| Faisal Malik | Kumbhakaran |
| Ajinkya Deo | Vishwamitra |
| Shishir Sharma | Vashishtha |
| Mukesh Tiwari | Agastya |
| Kunal Kapoor | Indra |
| Anupam Kher | Jatayu (voice) |
| Raghav Juyal | Meghanad (teased for Part 2) |
The Big Three
Ranbir Kapoor as Ram (and Parshuram)
The prince of Ayodhya, eldest son of Dashrath, and the man every Indian already knows as Maryada Purushottam. Ranbir plays him calm and inward, a Ram who feels the weight of every duty. Audiences are split on whether that works, but it’s a far cry from the brooding Ranbir of Animal, and that alone is a statement.
The twist: Ranbir also plays Parshuram, the axe-wielding sixth avatar of Vishnu who confronts Ram after the breaking of Shiva’s bow. One actor playing two avatars of the same god is a clever idea. Sadly, as we wrote in our Ramayana Part 1 review, Parshuram comes and goes in a blink.
Yash as Ravan
The ten-headed king of Lanka, a great scholar, a devoted follower of Shiva, and the man whose ego sets the whole epic on fire. The film opens with his rise, and Yash owns it. If there’s one performance everyone is talking about, it’s this one. Rocky Bhai fans walked in expecting swagger. They got a king.
Sai Pallavi as Sita
The princess of Mithila, daughter of King Janak, who chooses exile alongside Ram. Sai Pallavi brings her trademark sincerity and gives Sita real spine. The only complaint you’ll hear is that the film doesn’t give her and Ram enough quiet time together.
The Ayodhya Family
Ravie Dubey as Lakshman: Ram’s fiercely loyal younger brother, son of Sumitra, and the man who draws the Lakshman Rekha. TV fans know Ravie from Jamai Raja, and he brings real energy. Our only grouse: the script keeps him a step behind Ram, with none of the cheeky fire Lakshman has in the epic.
Arun Govil as King Dashrath: The casting coup of the film. Arun Govil was Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s 1987 Ramayan, the show that stopped India every Sunday. Now he plays Ram’s father. For an entire generation of viewers, that’s goosebumps before he says a word.
Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi: Dashrath’s favourite queen, whose two boons send Ram into exile. Lara looks every inch the queen. The film rushes her turn from loving mother to villain, though, which is more a writing problem than a performance one.
Sheeba Chaddha as Manthara: The maid who poisons Kaikeyi’s mind. Sheeba is one of Hindi cinema’s most reliable character actors, and Manthara is exactly the kind of role she can make memorable in a few scenes.
Indira Krishnan as Kaushalya and Sonal Jha as Sumitra: Ram’s and Lakshman’s mothers. Adinath Kothare as Bharat and Nitish Sharma as Shatrughna complete the four brothers, though both get limited room in Part 1.
Team Lanka
Rakul Preet Singh as Shurpanakha: Ravan’s sister, and the spark that lights the fuse. Her encounter with Ram and Lakshman in the forest is what pushes Ravan to abduct Sita. It’s a big swing for Rakul, a long way from her usual glam roles.
Kajal Aggarwal as Mandodari: Ravan’s wise queen, one of the few voices in Lanka who sees where his pride is heading.
Shobana as Kaikasi: Ravan’s mother. Casting the classical dance legend here is a lovely touch, and since the film spends real time on Ravan’s origins, Kaikasi matters more than she usually does in Ramayan adaptations.
Vivek Oberoi as Vidyutjihva: A name casual viewers may not know. In the epic, Vidyutjihva is Shurpanakha’s husband, a demon king killed by Ravan himself, which adds a dark layer to the brother-sister bond.
Saurabh Sachdeva as Mareech: The shape-shifting demon who becomes the golden deer. After his menacing turn in Animal, Saurabh is a natural fit for the trickster who sets up the abduction.
Harish Uthaman as Vibhishan and Faisal Malik as Kumbhakaran: Ravan’s brothers. Both have much bigger roles waiting in Part 2, where Vibhishan switches sides and Kumbhakaran wakes up for the war.
Sages, Gods and Voices
- Ajinkya Deo as Vishwamitra: the sage who takes Ram and Lakshman away from Ayodhya to protect his yagna, and leads them to Mithila.
- Shishir Sharma as Vashishtha: the royal guru of Ayodhya.
- Mukesh Tiwari as Agastya: the forest sage Ram meets during the exile. Yes, Vasooli Bhai from Golmaal.
- Kunal Kapoor as Indra: the king of the gods, who has a front-row seat to Ravan’s rise. He got a proper reveal in the English trailer.
- Anupam Kher as the voice of Jatayu: the old vulture king who dies trying to save Sita. His voice work in the film’s best sequence is one of its quiet triumphs.
The Surprises: Hanuman and Meghanad
Sunny Deol as Hanuman: Don’t go looking for him in the main film. Sunny Deol’s Hanuman arrives in the post-credits scene, face hidden, as a giant figure in the forest roaring “Jai Shree Ram”. It’s a teaser for Part 2, where he becomes one of the central characters.
Raghav Juyal as Meghanad: Ravan’s eldest son, also known as Indrajit, the warrior who defeated Indra. He is teased in the credits and will be a major villain in Part 2. Full breakdown in our Ramayana Part 1 ending explained piece.
Ramayana Cast: FAQs
Who plays Ram in Ramayana 2026?
Ranbir Kapoor, who also plays Parshuram.
Who plays Ravan in Ramayana?
Yash, the KGF star, who is also a producer on the film through Monster Mind Creations.
Who plays Hanuman in Ramayana Part 1?
Sunny Deol, but only in the post-credits scene.
Who plays Kaikeyi in Ramayana?
Lara Dutta.
Who is the voice of Jatayu in Ramayana?
Anupam Kher.
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