Chetan Hansraj calls 'Ramayana' his best shoot ever; Says, "Film starts with my character"

The excitement around Nitesh Tiwari’s 'Ramayana' continues to build, and actor Chetan Hansraj has added fuel to the fire by confirming his role in the much-anticipated epic.Speaking to Minutes of Masala, Chetan revealed that he plays Sumali, Raavan’s maternal grandfather, a character that sets the stage for the entire saga.

“It starts with him,” Chetan said, expressing just how significant his role is in the story’s grand opening.

Though he couldn’t divulge much, his enthusiasm was unmistakable as he called it “by far the best shoot” of his life.

“Unbelievable scale, legendary crew”

Having wrapped his portions, Chetan couldn’t stop raving about the scale and quality of the production. “What a shoot! Unbelievable. We worked with legends from Hollywood—it was surreal,” he said.

According to the actor, even the international crew members were blown away by the magnitude of the project. “They were like, ‘Boss, this is something else.’” The experience, he said, was not just career-defining but also deeply educational.

“Just being on that set was a learning curve,” Chetan added.

Star-studded cast, grand release plan

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, 'Ramayana' features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash in the powerful role of Raavan. Sunny Deol will portray Lord Hanuman, while other key characters include Lara Dutta (Kaikeyi), Sheeba Chaddha (Manthara), Ravi Dubey (Lakshman), and Arun Govil (King Dasharatha).

The film is expected to be released in two parts, Part 1 arriving in Diwali 2026 and Part 2 following in Diwali 2027. Reports suggest that the second part will begin filming by October this year. The expectations are high for the Ranbir Kapoor starrer. Recently the makers shared the announcement teaser for the film which piqued curiosity due to the fact that it marks the first time collaboration between Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman.