Varun Grover Slams 1987 Ramayan Cast For Acting Like Real Avatars Over Nitesh Tiwari Film

Playing a deity four decades ago does not hand you copyright over an epic.

Varun Grover made that point blunt on November 12. The National Award-winning lyricist and screenwriter targeted veteran actors from Ramanand Sagar's iconic television serial, taking aim at their running public critiques of director Nitesh Tiwari's new cinematic adaptation, Ramayana. Writing on X, Grover stripped away the diplomatic veneer that usually blankets industry discourse:

“

Actors from Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan commenting on the new film with the entitlement as if they are actual avatars.

Halting sacred cows is Grover's specialty. His single-sentence barb landed squarely on a widening generational divide between the 1987 television cast—revered across Indian households for generations—and a modern production attempting to bring the epic to the big screen with contemporary visual machinery.

Chikhlia's Verdict on Curls and Memory

Dipika Chikhlia, who defined the visual memory of Sita for millions, set off earlier debates in July when asked about Sai Pallavi stepping into the role. While Chikhlia acknowledged Pallavi's acting pedigree, she openly questioned her aesthetic fit for the mythological figure:

“

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. Sitaji with curly hair is not mentioned in Ramayan. 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.

Nostalgia remains a powerful cultural barricade. Chikhlia’s point about the lockdown reruns carries weight—the 1987 series drew record-shattering viewership when Doordarshan re-broadcast it across homes during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns, embedding the older cast firmly into the minds of Gen-Z viewers.

Lahri Flags Missing Chapters and Lost Devotion

Sunil Lahri, who portrayed Lakshman in the Sagar series, took a more forensic approach. In an extended video review posted following the theatrical rollout, Lahri praised the film's visual effects and lead performances, but took issue with Tiwari's tonal and structural departures.

He pinpointed the complete absence of the Ahalya episode, questioned the framing of the Parashurama confrontation, and objected to how characters converse with the central deity:

“

I did not like the way Shurpanakha addresses Lord Ram during their conversation. The way Sita Ji addresses Lord Ram also did not feel appropriate to me. There are several other sequences that I felt were weak and lacked the devotional sentiment and divine essence that are integral to the story of the Ramayana.

Yet Lahri stopped short of an outright dismissal. Calling the viewing a bittersweet experience, he urged audiences to head to cinemas and judge the storytelling on their own terms.

Character	Ramanand Sagar Serial (1987)	Nitesh Tiwari Adaptation (2026)	Role / Status
Lord Ram	Arun Govil	Ranbir Kapoor	Lead Protagonist
Sita	Dipika Chikhlia	Sai Pallavi	Female Lead
Lakshman	Sunil Lahri	Ravie Dubey	Supporting Lead
Ravana

The Big Picture

Nitesh Tiwari's adaptation is mounted as a sprawling two-part cinematic venture. Even as legacy actors question narrative alterations, the production secured continuity by casting original Ram actor Arun Govil as King Dashrath—an endorsement that stands in stark contrast to the skepticism voiced by his former co-stars.

Part 1 arrived across worldwide screens on November 5, carrying the weight of massive expectations, visual ambition, and scrutiny from traditionalists. The creative battleground now shifts toward Tiwari's concluding chapter, with Part 2 slated to hit theatres globally in 2028.