Aug 05, 2026 7:27pm IST
‘Ramayana’ Actor Sheeba Chadha: ‘I Never Walked Onto the Set Thinking About the ₹4,000 Crore Budget’ (EXCLUSIVE)
For Sheeba Chadha, the reported scale of Nitesh Tiwari’s “Ramayana” was never something she allowed herself to think about while filming. Even as the two-part epic has emerged as one of the most ambitious productions mounted in Indian cinema, the actor says her responsibility began and ended with understanding her character.
“You don’t walk onto a set thinking of that. That would be very crazy,” Chadha who is also gearing up for "Hamlet" led by Riz Ahmed, tells Variety India. “When you go onto a set like that, for me, it’s a day of work. I’m just trying to do it as best as I can.”
Produced by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios in association with Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, “Ramayana” stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Ravi Dubey as Lakshman. Sheeba Chadha plays Manthara, the royal attendant whose influence over Queen Kaikeyi becomes one of the story’s defining turning points.
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Rather than being consumed by the expectations surrounding the film, Chadha says she chose to immerse herself in the psychology of a character who has often been viewed through a single lens. “I don’t think I approached her with any preconceived notion. These are very well-etched characters, and I think this is a recalibration in understanding them,” she says.
Instead of treating Manthara as a straightforward antagonist, Sheeba Chadha found her emotional anchor in the character’s relationship with Kaikeyi. She explains, “In my head, she was almost like a protective mother to Kaikeyi. It came from a place of asking, ‘Why is that right not being given? Why is that space not being valued the same way?’ She is, in a way, simply looking out for her own.”
That perspective, Chadha says, shaped every decision she made while portraying the character. “That’s the only way I could go through it,” she says. “Then, of course, the character is who she is. She’s acting upon that need, and she takes it to whatever degree because she has that emotional influence. Those are the tools that make sense to her.”
The actor also believes dwelling on the enormity of a production can become counterproductive. “If you sit there and set your mind on the scale of it, it can get intimidating. For me, this is my character, this is my director, this is my co-actor. I just need to perform that moment to the best of my ability,” she says.
The first installment of “Ramayana” is slated to release in theatres during Diwali 2026, with the second part scheduled for 2027.
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