Jul 31, 2026 7:31pm IST
‘Ramayana’: Chetan Hansraj, Who Plays Mali, Says That Online Critics Are ‘Living in Dreamland’ (Exclusive)
Chetan Hansraj plays demon (Rakshasa) Mali in Nitesh Tiwari's "Ramayana." In a conversation with Variety India, he speaks about his character and the experience of working with Yash and Nitesh Tiwari. He shares that the character is quite pivotal to the backstory, saying, “It was a fantastic experience to shoot with the creme de la creme technicians from around the world. Being on set with some of Hollywood’s finest technicians, acclaimed action directors, Hans Zimmer, and Michael Grobe, who won an Academy Award for 'Dune,' was an incredible experience. Just being surrounded by that level of talent and getting to do what we were there to do was truly phenomenal.”
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Kannada superstar Yash plays Raavan. About working with him, Hansraj says, “He’s a cool guy. I was really impressed with him.” He also praises filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari. He says, “He is so gentle with every member of the cast and crew. Nitesh is very interested in understanding every role and guiding you to bring that on screen. Everyone on sets was so soft-spoken. On the sets of ‘Ramayana,’ I felt everyone was aligned towards one goal. I have been acting for 47 years. These 20 days of the shoot have been the best 20 days of my entire career.”
The casting of Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram and Sai Pallavi as Maa Sita has been a topic of debate on social media. Addressing the same, he says, “I think the casting is fabulous. Ranbir as Ram is fabulous. I really like the manner in which he has carried off his look. Sai Pallavi is also very nice. Everyone has their opinion, but Namit Malhotra, Nitesh Tiwari and the team have done a lot of research for the looks and characters, and finalized the cast after a lot of deliberation.”
Given the scale of the project, even the VFX is being dissected to the minutest detail. He admits being aware of the conversations. Describing such critics as keyboard VFX superstars, Hansraj opines, “They are in dreamland. When you see ‘Ramayana’ on the big screen, you will understand the scale. It is unfathomable. All these critics don't understand the scale.”
Hansraj reveals he was overwhelmed after shooting his portion. The cast and crew lined up 10 cakes for him, a moment he describes as truly touching. “I could feel their love. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my career,” he signs off.
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