Once an engineer, now star of India's biggest film: Meet outsider who rivals Ranbir, Yash, Sunny Deol in ₹835 cr epic

An engineer by training, this actor is getting his big Bollywood break with Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, where he is one of the leads alongside Ranbir Kapoor, Yash

The first glimpse of Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana was unveiled on Thursday. The film, billed as the biggest and most expensive ever made in India, features heavyweights like Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram and Yash as Ravana. The title card also features Sai Pallavi as Sita and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman. And alongside these stars is a former TV actor, for whom the film just may be his big film breakthrough. Ravi Dubey plays Lakshman in the mythological epic, which makes him one of the leads of the big-budget film.

Ravi Dubey adopted several disguises for his web series, Matsya Kaand, in which he played 11 characters.

Ravi Dubey's journey from engineer to movie star

Born in Gorakhpur, Ravi Dubey grew up in Delhi and Gurgaon, before pursuing electronic and telecommunications engineering at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology in Mumbai. During his college days, Ravi began working as a model, eventually finding work on TV with the Doordarshan show Stree...Teri Kahaani in 2006. Ravi eventually found his breakthrough with Saas Bina Sasural and 12/24 Karol Bagh. Further success came his way with the hit show, Jamai Raja.

In 2011, he made his film debut with Arun Govil's UR My Jaan, but then returned to television after it did not succeed. In October 2024, he was cast as Lakshman in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana. Coincidentally, Arun Govil, his first producer, plays King Dashratha in the film.

Ravi Dubey as Lakshman in Ramayana

While there had been reports of Ravi playing Lakshman for months, the actor had not officially confirmed it prior to his name being featured on the title card on Thursday. Ravi then confirmed it with a social media post, sharing the first glimpse video. Ravi took to Instagram with a heartfelt post that read, “It’s the greatest honour of my life to be part of a story that has shaped generations. Welcome to the world of Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana, the immortal story of Rama vs Ravana. Grateful to walk this path, and to share it with all of you. Let’s celebrate this moment and together, step into the @worldoframayana. Our Truth. Our History.”

While the video gave fleeting glimpses of Ranbir as Ram and Yash as Ravana, the look of the other central cast, including Ravi, Pallavi, and Sunny, remain under wraps.

About Ramayana

Made on a reported budget of ₹835 crore, Ramayana is the most expensive Indian film made to date. The two-part epic is being directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra. It features music by AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer. Part 1 will release on Diwali 2026, while Part 2 is set to hit theatres on Diwali 2027.