Newcomer Nitish Sharma, who plays Shatrughan in Nitesh Tiwari‘s magnum opus ‘Ramayana: The Introduction’, has opened up about the emotional journey behind his casting. Days after being dropped from a major project in favour of a senior actor, Sharma says fate intervened and led him straight to Lord Rama’s story. Sharma stars opposite Ranbir Kapoor‘s Lord Rama and Ravie Dubey’s Lakshman in the highly anticipated two-part franchise, which releases its first installment on November 6.
Nitish Sharma opens up about his ‘divine’ casting story
In a heartfelt Instagram video shared this week, debutant actor Nitish Sharma narrated the unusual chain of events that led him to Ramayana. The clip begins with an old interview snippet of veteran actor Arun Govil — who plays King Dashrath in the new film and is best remembered as Lord Rama from the iconic 1987 television series — speaking about how the role of Rama seems to choose the actor rather than the other way around.Echoing that sentiment, Sharma said he considers it a stroke of luck that he was picked to play Shatrughan, especially since the offer came right after he had been dropped from what would have been the biggest role of his career at that point.Sharma recounted that back in 2023, after facing countless auditions and rejections, he finally landed a significant role in a large-scale production backed by a major banner. Just as he was preparing to begin shooting, he received an abrupt message informing him that he had been replaced by a more established actor, with no further explanation offered.The setback hit him hard, and Sharma admitted he was devastated for several days afterward, eventually returning to his hometown to process the disappointment.According to Sharma, his family home has a small Hanuman shrine where his parents regularly recite the Sundarkand, a section of the Ramcharitmanas devoted to Lord Hanuman. One day, in a moment of quiet frustration, he decided to sit down and read it himself, questioning why the earlier opportunity had slipped away.He revealed that he was reading through the Bharat Milaap portion, the passage describing Lord Rama’s emotional reunion with his brothers Bharat and Shatrughan, when he received a call from casting director Mukesh Chhabra. That call, he says, set the wheels in motion for his casting in Ramayana.In his caption accompanying the video, Sharma expressed gratitude toward producer Namit Malhotra, director Nitesh Tiwari, Chhabra, and the rest of the team for the opportunity.
Who is Nitish Sharma?
Before landing his role in Ramayana, Nitish Sharma was known for playing Sameer Verma in the streaming series Pyaar Paisa Profit. He brings over seven years of theatre experience to his acting career and has also appeared in advertising campaigns for well-known brands including Toyota, Blackberrys, Manyavar, Swiggy, and Tata Tea. Beyond acting, Sharma has written and directed two short films, titled Escape and The Date.‘Ramayana’ marks his feature film debut, and he is expected to feature prominently in Part One of the franchise.
About Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Ramayana’
Billed as one of the most ambitious productions in Indian cinema history, Ramayana is directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana in lead roles.The extensive supporting cast includes Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, Sunny Deol, Rakul Preet Singh, Vivek Oberoi, Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, and Kunal Kapoor in key roles. Adding to the film’s grand scale, the soundtrack has been composed jointly by AR Rahman and Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer, marking Zimmer’s first-ever score for an Indian film.Part One of ‘Ramayana’ is set to release in theatres on November 6.
