"I cannot accept Ranbir Kapoor as Ram": Ramanand Sagar's grandson Shiv Sagar on 'Ramayana' casting

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 7 (ANI): The grandson of legendary filmmaker Ramanand Sagar and producer-director Shiv Sagar expressed his displeasure with the casting of actor Ranbir Kapoor in the upcoming Nitesh Tiwari's film 'Ramayana.'
Sagar said he finds it hard to "accept" Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram after his morally complex role in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's 'Animal.' 
"Except for that one casting, I like the rest of the casting very much. Personally, I cannot accept Ranbir Kapoor as Ram because after Animal, I cannot accept him as Ram. When I look at Ram ji, I feel that a fresh face should have been taken. You can take a very strong supporting cast, like Yash is looking very good, Sai Pallavi is looking very good, they don't have that much baggage. He has a lot of baggage. That's why we usually take a new face in our serials, so they don't have any baggage or history," said Shiv Sagar. 
The 'Kaakbhushundi Ramayan' producer, however, stressed that personally, he has no issue with Ranbir, who is a very good actor. 
 "We have seen Ranbir in different roles; he is a very good actor. Personally, I don't have anything against him. I think they must have taken him for the project because they want a marketing push, and maybe if they didn't take Ranbir, the film wouldn't have been marketed so well, so that's also something to think about, but I personally believe that for such characters, it's better to take a new face," he elaborated.
He continued, "Because after Ramayan, will he be accepted again in a film like Animal? Especially when it comes to Ram ji and Ramayan, people are a bit more touchy and emotional, and this is not mythology. In the West, we call it mythology; even in India, it is called mythology, but it is our history. People worship them every day; he (Ram) is our history."
However, Shiv Sagar also believes that despite his personal opinions, the final verdict of the film is always in the hands of the public.   
"In reality, the public is the king, and whatever the public says will be the final verdict. I didn't like the casting and costumes of some parts; that could have been better," said Shiv Sagar. 
Meanwhile, a three-generation-old dream of the Sagar family has finally taken shape with the completion of a Ram Temple in Maharashtra’s Karjat, a deeply emotional milestone for a family whose name has been inseparably associated with Lord Ram and Ramayana for decades.
The project was originally envisioned by Ramanand Sagar and advanced by his son Prem Sagar before coming to fruition under his grandson Shiv Sagar. (ANI)