The online chatter around Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana turned venomous the moment cameras rolled. Dhanush is having none of it. Taking the stage at Sairam Engineering College in Chennai during the pre-release launch for their upcoming film OM, the actor launched an impassioned defense of his co-star Sai Pallavi, dismissing online backlash targeting her casting as Sita. The mythic tentpole—anchored by Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Yash as Ravana, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman—landed in cinemas on November 5 and bolted past the ₹200 crore milestone in India within four days.
"There is so much noise and chatter surrounding her portrayal of Sita. I really don't understand it," Dhanush told the crowd. He pointed squarely to her discipline between setups, contrasting keyboard outrage with her presence on set. "Even during breaks between shots, she would constantly be praying. Even if you search across all of India, you won't find another Sita like her. She is someone with such profound devotion to God and such a pure heart. She looks so beautiful, and she is a great performer."
The reunion marks a sharp evolution from their initial pairing in the 2018 action comedy Maari 2. Back then, Pallavi was navigating commercial Tamil cinema with cautious steps. Dhanush remembered a co-actor who guarded her voice. Nine years on, that hesitation is dead.
"When I first met Sai Pallavi during Maari 2, she was so innocent and spoke very little. She would think carefully before saying anything and was hesitant to speak," Dhanush said. "Seeing her nine years later on the sets of this film, I found her completely transformed. She stood there as someone who had thoroughly mastered cinema. In her speech, her walk and her expressions, everything reflected immense confidence and poise. It was astonishing."
The pair swap commercial banter for gritty procedural drama in OM, which arrives in worldwide theaters on November 20. Pallavi steps into the shoes of Nithya Reddy, a CBI officer leading an operation against illegal red sandalwood smuggling networks. The film also features Mammootty in a central role. Dhanush noted that tackling the role required raw nerve: "Playing this role isn't easy at all. Sai Pallavi took it up boldly and courageously and delivered a wonderful performance."
With Ramayana stacking heavy returns and OM primed for a global run, Pallavi's commercial clout is answering the skeptics with cold box-office receipts.