Suhail Nayyar: Ramayana Team Deserves Blessings, Not Pressure

Mumbai: As Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Rise of a Legend moves toward its November 5, 2026, India release, actor Suhail Nayyar has a quiet request for fans: bless the film, don’t add pressure.

The two-part adaptation, led by Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi, carries the weight of both scripture and spectacle. Nayyar, who plays the vanara king Sugriva, told India Today in an exclusive conversation that the production’s scale, its young Indian VFX team and the respectful manner in which the epic is being handled deserve encouragement first.

From Saare Jahan Se Achha to Sugriva

The role came after Tiwari noticed Nayyar in Saare Jahan Se Achha (2025). Casting director Mukesh Chhabra reached out to his agency, and a separate process followed to test his suitability for the character.

Nayyar said the yes was instant. “You don’t choose something like Ramayana, it chooses you. It is God’s order,” he said.

The project also completes a long-standing professional wish: he had wanted to work with Tiwari since watching Dangal (2016). With Pankaj Kumar as cinematographer and music by A R Rahman and Hans Zimmer, Nayyar said the collaboration still feels surreal.

Watching the epic as a fan

Nayyar will appear in Ramayana: Part Two. He said he is now reacting to the film’s first glimpses as a viewer, thinking “Oh wow” as the pieces come together.

Playing Sugriva has pushed him beyond his usual process. Physicality and voice, he said, are central this time, and he is curious to see how audiences resonate with the character.

Why he is asking for support

A film mounted on the Ramayana inevitably carries heavy scrutiny. Nayyar said the pressure is understandable, but the intention behind the project is clear and the work behind the scenes is immense.

He singled out the Indian artists handling visual effects, many between 19 and 25 years old, calling them hard-working. Then he made a cricket comparison. “If the Indian cricket team is in the World Cup final, you don’t put pressure on the team,” Nayyar said.

He added that the set atmosphere and the respectful way people speak about the written material make him proud to be part of the film.

Before you buy a ticket

• Wait for the final frames. The film arrives in India on November 5, 2026; let the finished work make its case.
• Credit the VFX crew. Indian artists as young as 19 are part of the team building the film’s world.
• Separate scrutiny from pressure. High expectations are fair; judging a film before release is a different conversation.

For Hindi film fans, this is also a chance to watch how an Indian production handles an epic with global-crew ambitions. The film’s success or stumble will be measured by its frames, not by the noise before them.

Source: India Today