Actor Dev Sharma says he was rejected from Adipurush, Ramayana for being taller than Ranbir Kapoor, 'as huge as' Prabhas

Dev Sharma is now playing Lord Rama in Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha, an upcoming adaptation of the Ramayana.

In 2023, Prabhas and Kriti Sanon's Adipurush, based on the Ramayana, was released amid immense backlash over its portrayal of the epic. Now, Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, starring Ranbir Kapoor, is among the most highly anticipated films of the year. However, before that, another film based on the epic, Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha, is set to hit theatres. At the film's trailer launch on Thursday, actor Dev Sharma, who plays Lord Rama, revealed that he was previously rejected for the role of Lakshman in both Adipurush and Ramayana.

Dev Sharma recalls being rejected from Adipurush and Ramayana.

Dev Sharma on being rejected from Adipurush and Ramayana

Responding to a reporter's question at the trailer launch, Dev said in Hindi, "Before this, I was offered the role of Lakshman in both Adipurush as well as Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana. My look tests were also almost finalised, but things didn't work out."

Explaining why he was not finalised for either film, Dev said, "Somewhere I was two inches taller than the actor playing Lord Rama and in another I was as huge as the actor playing Lord Rama, so I wasn't finalised. So I was disheartened that maybe my connection with Ramayana is not that good; that is why I am being rejected again and again."

Dev also revealed that when the producers of his current film approached him, he initially turned down the offer, saying that he did not want to do a Ramayana film or play Lakshman. However, he eventually felt that it was his destiny to portray Lord Rama and that his earlier rejections for the role of Lakshman had happened for a reason.

In Adipurush, Prabhas played Lord Rama, Kriti Sanon played Sita, Saif Ali Khan played Ravana, and Sunny Singh played Lakshman. The film faced backlash upon release over its portrayal of the characters, dialogue, and VFX. It reportedly collected around ₹390 crore worldwide against a reported budget of ₹700 crore.

In Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi portrays Sita, and Ravi Dubey is set to play Lakshman. The film also stars Kannada actor Yash as Ravana and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman. The two-part epic has reportedly been mounted on a massive ₹4,000 crore budget, with the first part scheduled to release in theatres during Diwali 2026.

About Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha

Directed by Abhishek Singh, Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha stars Dev Sharma as Lord Rama, Anjali Arora as Sita, and Rajniesh Duggall as Ravana. Produced by Prakash Mahobiya and Sanjay Bundela under the banner of Mahobiya Films, the film is scheduled to release in theatres on September 25.