Lara Dutta defends Sai Pallavi’s warrior Sita in Ramayana

A week after Ramayana: Rise of a Legend opened in cinemas, Lara Dutta has stepped into one of the season’s most heated debates. The discussion around Sai Pallavi’s Sita has shifted from early casting chatter to a post-release argument about one specific choice: a Sita who fights.

From casting complaints to a warrior sequence

Before release, much of the online noise focused on whether Sai Pallavi looked the part. Her hair texture and accent were picked apart. Now that Nitesh Tiwari’s film is playing in theatres, attention has moved to a sequence in which Sita appears in a warrior avatar.

Lara Dutta’s answer

Lara Dutta, who plays Kaikeyi, addressed the criticism in an NDTV interview. Her first request was simple: “Just enjoy the cinematic experience.”

She added that there are many versions of the Ramayana, and that royal children of that era were likely trained in arts and weaponry. By that logic, she argued, a Sita trained in warfare is not far-fetched.

“You’re not going to be a helpless woman.”

Dutta also reasoned that a woman who willingly chose a 14-year forest exile would naturally grow strong and resilient, and would pick up the means to defend herself. Her closing advice was to stop being, in her words, “small-minded” and embrace the cinematic experience.

Why this debate matters

For a mythology-based film, the question is rarely only about one scene. It is about which tradition governs an adaptation. Is the Ramayana a fixed text, or a living one that changes with each retelling? Lara Dutta is arguing that audiences should treat it as the latter, at least for this version.

The Sita this film builds

In this adaptation, Sita is not positioned as someone waiting for rescue. She works in the fields, teaches children and young locals sword fighting and combat, and is shown as a trained warrior princess.

• The film gives Sita twin swords and a bow during the 14-year exile.
• She fights demons alongside Ram and Lakshman in the forest.
• The casting and creative-liberty debate is still running a week after release.

That makes the warrior sequence less a surprise and more a statement of how Tiwari’s version reads Sita from the start.

The cast includes Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash, Ravi Dubey, Arun Govil, Lara Dutta and others. The film released in theatres on November 5, 2026.

Source: The Times of India