Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana is one of the most awaited releases of the year 2026. Starring Ranbir Kapoor in the lead as Lord Rama with Sai Pallavi as Sita, Rocking Star Yash as Ravana, Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Ravi Dubey as Lakshmana, the first film from the two-part adaptation of Ramayana is all set to arrive in theatres on Diwali this year. Ahead of the same, makers released the teaser last year with glimpses of the star cast. Recently new pictures of Ranbir and Sai dressed as their characters went viral, taking social media by storm. However, these photos are not from the set. Here’s the truth behind them.
In the viral image, Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi have gold crowns on their heads and are covered in heavy traditional jewellery. RK looks handsome as ever, clean shaven, with his hands folded while Sai is beautiful as Sita as she gazes at him. Gushing over the actors, a social media user tweeted, “Seeing Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi in the leaked pics from Ramayana already feels magical. ✨🏹 If the leaks look this good, imagine the official visuals. Goosebumps already! 🔥,” whereas another netizen stated, “144p on set pics far better than Adipurush 4K full movie bro 🙌🫡🤡.” But these new pictures were not clicked on the set of Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana.
These pictures are actually stills from the TV show Siya Ke Ram, modified using AI. Ranbir and Sai’s heads have been attached to the bodies of the television actors who portrayed Rama and Sita in the series. Actor Aashiesh Sharrma, who was seen as Lord Rama in the show, cleared all doubts when he re-shared the pictures on his social media handle with the caption: “Here you go. One more “Original” leaked image. AI couldn’t replace my Hair 😎.” Remembering Aashiesh as Lord Rama in the 2015 show, a netizen stated, “Jokes apart: Siya ke ram actors had sizzling chemistry like Ram sita truly,” whereas another Reddit user shared, “He’s a very good actor and generally never desperate to hog limelight. He has commented rightly and honestly I don’t feel any hype for the movie Ramayan. Ranbir Kapoor as Ram? Sorry not sorry.” A comment also read, “Goshhh yess Ashish played it so well he had that calm sense and the grace of the lord/king that one needed to play the role plus the songs and background music just made the serial better and better.”
Update on Ramayana event
On March 26, celebrating Rama Navami, the makers of Ramayana had planned a special showcase event at the Gateway of India to unveil the looks of the star cast. However, the showcase has now been postponed, in light of the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict which triggered global tensions. In a report shared by Mid Day, a source was quoted saying, “The Ram Navami launch was planned as a massive moment for the film, but ‘Ramayana’ is not just a domestic project; it’s an international film with a global audience. The producers felt that the current situation worldwide is not the most conducive environment to unveil such important material.”
