Rakul Preet Singh says Ramayana is India's representation to the world, calls Surpanakha a very misunderstood character

Rakul Preet Singh has already grabbed attention with her appearance as Surpanakha in the Ramayana trailer. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama.

Ramayana is the biggest release of the year. After the first trailer that was unveiled by the makers, it went viral over the looks of Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama to Sai Pallavi as Sita. Many on the internet debated on the look of the characters as well as the scale of the epic adaptation. But if there was one highlight from the trailer that took everyone by surprise, it was Rakul Preet Singh's glimpse as Surpanakha.

What Rakul shared

Rakul Preet Singh's Surpanakha was one of the few highlights of the Ramayana trailer.

Now, in an interaction with news agency PTI, Rakul has shared her excitement on taking up the role of Surpanakha and said, “I think what was so exciting were a couple of things. First, it's India's representation to the world. Our history, our truth represented to the world's first ever-global film. Secondly, Surpanakha is a very misunderstood and layered character. She was the reason why the war takes place in the first place. So it has been really interesting to play someone with multiple shades.”

As per Hindu mythology, Suparnakha was the root cause behind the battle between Ravana and Rama. In order to avenge the insult of Surpanakha, Ravana disguised himself as a sage and kidnapped Sita, which ultimately led to the war.

Ramayana is the latest adaptation of Valmiki's epic, one of the world's oldest pieces of literature. It tells the story of Lord Rama, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu (played by Ranbir Kapoor), and his battle against the asura king Ravana (played by Yash) after the latter abducts his wife, Sita (played by Sai Pallavi). The epic is one of the most familiar stories in the Indian subcontinent and is revered by Hindus as a sacred text.

Reportedly mounted on a budget of ₹4,000 crore"> ₹4,000 crore, the film is backed by Yash and Namit Malhotra and is planned as a two-part franchise. The first instalment is scheduled to release in theatres on November 5, 2026, with the second part expected to arrive around Diwali 2027.