Nitish Bharadwaj Wants Ramayana to Keep Its Chaupais

Nitish Bharadwaj has returned to the conversation around Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Part 1 with one pointed question. The actor, best known as Krishna in B. R. Chopra’s 1988 Mahabharat, shared a screenshot of the line “Main Bansuri, Saans Tu” from the film’s song “Mangal Rang” on Instagram and asked whether anyone could “read between the lines”.

In the caption he repeated an earlier wish: he hopes Indian audiences will accept Sai Pallavi as Sita, and that he can hear Tulsidas ji’s chaupais accompanied by mridangam and manjira somewhere in the film. For Bharadwaj, that is not decoration; it is what he calls the sound identity of the Maha-Kavya.

Why the film’s sound is under scrutiny

The post arrives as the adaptation tries to balance two very different forces. On one side, the score brings together A.R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer, positioning the film as a global spectacle. On the other, the Ramayana is carried in popular memory by its devotional verses and traditional instruments. Bharadwaj’s question is whether the second half survives the first.

What we know about the release

The two-part epic is fixed for a worldwide release on November 5, 2026, just ahead of Diwali. Here is the shape of the project so far:

• Part 1: worldwide release on November 5, 2026.
• Part 2: set for Diwali 2027.
• Languages: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.
• Backers: Prime Focus Studios, DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations.

What a Mahabharat legend is really asking

Bharadwaj’s authority comes from having played Krishna in one of Indian television’s most beloved mythological adaptations, along with Vishnu and his avatars in other B. R. Chopra productions. When he singles out a song line, he is speaking to a generation that learned the epics through television’s devotional sound. His message is less a criticism than a barometer: he is not rejecting Sai Pallavi, but asking the makers to protect the musical texture that makes the story feel sacred.

The practical takeaway for fans

As the promotion builds toward Diwali, listeners can use Bharadwaj’s frame as a simple test for the soundtrack. Does the next song or trailer place chaupais, mridangam and manjira at the centre, or do they appear only as garnish? That distinction will shape how the audience receives the film far more than any VFX shot.

Source: The Times of India