Ramayana: Addinath Kothare to play Bharat in Nitesh Tiwari’s epic starring Ranbir Kapoor

Addinath Kothare has confirmed that he will be essaying the role of Bharat in Nitesh Tiwari’s ambitious project Ramayana. The actor, who is known for his work in Marathi cinema, called it a major opportunity and spoke about the scale and planning involved in the film’s production.

Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, Addinath said, “It’s a blessing. It’s the biggest film made on Indian soil. It’s also one of the biggest films made globally today. To be a part of it, I am truly indebted to Mukesh Chhabra. He is the man who cast me and, of course, Nitesh sir for choosing me for the character of Bharat. And also Namit Malhotra sir, who believed in me and entrusted me with such a big responsibility of such an important character.”

Bharat, the character Addinath will portray, is one of the brothers of Lord Ram in the epic tale. The actor, who was recently seen in The Royals, further shared his thoughts on the experience. “It’s one of the most well-planned cinema on Indian soil, I think. We are fortunate enough to witness this from close quarters. And I am really fortunate to have got this opportunity in such a big film, not just as an actor, filmmaker, human being, but just to get to witness this humongous scale of film production. No film school can teach you this,” he added.

Kothare, a National Award-winning filmmaker and actor, has worked on several acclaimed Marathi films like Paani, Avatarachi Goshta, Nilkanth Master, and Chandramukhi.

The first look of Ramayana was unveiled earlier this month by Namit Malhotra, giving audiences a brief sense of the vision behind the project. The film has been in the spotlight for its star-studded cast and large-scale production.

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana will be released in two parts, with the first scheduled for Diwali 2026 and the second in 2027. The cast includes Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Yash as Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman, and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. Lara Dutta, Sheeba Chaddha, and Arun Govil will also appear in important roles. The film’s music will bring together AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer, with the latter making his Bollywood debut.