Now Reading: Ramayana reveals Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Sheeba Chadha as Manthara
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Ramayana reveals Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Sheeba Chadha as Manthara
The makers of Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana have unveiled character posters of Lara Dutta as Queen Kaikeyi and Sheeba Chadha as Manthara. Dutta appears in regal attire as Kaikeyi, whose two wishes to King Dashrath lead to Lord Rama’s 14-year exile. Chadha is seen holding a staff as Manthara, the maid whose counsel shapes the queen’s decisions.
The posters are captioned: ‘A queen. A mother. Two wishes that would betray a father’s love and change Rama’s destiny forever’ for Kaikeyi, and ‘A cunning mind. Whose whispers would turn a mother’s love into a kingdom’s darkest hour’ for Manthara. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana. Part one releases worldwide on Diwali 2026, and part two on Diwali 2027, in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam, with an IMAX release planned.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both Times Now and India TV offer near-identical straight reporting of the Ramayana character-poster reveals, with no discernible slant. Each outlet leads with the same facts: Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi and Sheeba Chadha as Manthara, the plot role of Kaikeyi’s two wishes and Manthara’s influence, and identical cast, release-date (Diwali 2026 for part one, Diwali 2027 for part two) and production details. The only variation is the placement of Arun Govil’s casting as King Dashrath, Times Now mentions it inline, India TV gives it a separate subheading, but neither assigns editorial weight or political framing. The coverage is uniform promotional copy, devoid of any government or ideological angle. The shared open question is how audiences will receive a two-part epic that reimagines a foundational text for a modern cinema audience, with the first part due in theatres in under a month.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): timesnownews.com (neutral report), indiatvnews.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
