Indications were that this blockbuster bringing together two gorgeous talents of Bollywood and Tollywood is on the cards. But the buzz is that Nitesh Tiwari’s adaptation of Ramayana with Hrithik Roshan and Mahesh Babu might be on hold because Om Raut (Tanhaji) went and announced his Ramayana version Adipurush also with a Telugu-Hindi star cast comprising Prabhas and Saif Ali Khan.

However, PeepingMoon.com sources say Tiwari’s film is happening even though there have been no updates on it since its announcement in 2019. The live-action feature film on Hindu mythology is in full flow and is being backed by Madhu Mantena, Allu Aravind and Namit Malhotra. It will get off the ground next year and will be shot in 3D as a multilingual trilogy.

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Sources say Tiwari pitched his three-part Ramayana series to superstars Hrithik Roshan and Mahesh Babu. While Babu has been offered the role of Lord Rama, Hrithik is supposed to play the demon king of Lanka — Ravana. Both superstars are believed to have shown interest in this magnum opus but are yet to take a call on it. They are apparently waiting for the full narration and a proper deal before coming on board.

However, PeepingMoon.com has also heard that Babu is shortly doing Telugu director S. S. Rajamouli’s next big film and may not be able to commit to Tiwari. At the same time, Hrithik is besieged with date issues and may also opt out like he did from Night Manager. This tidbit from Tollywood and Bollywood definitely puts Tiwari’s Ramayana on the backburner. Or will he attempt it with two other big superstars instead?

We have also been told that preparation for this Ramayana trilogy — expected to be made on the whopping budget of 500 crores — is going on in full swing. And casting director Mukesh Chhabra’s team is auditioning actors from Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati and Punjabi film industries, making this the biggest pan-India venture in true sense. Dangal fame Tiwari and Mom fame Ravi Udyawar who are assigned to direct the ambitious series are leaving no stone unturned to execute this film on a scale never-attempted-before in India.

It is believed they were busy giving shape to this film during the lockdown and were conducting meetings with writers and technical teams on video calls and conference calls. Sridhar Raghavan who is writing the screenplay is said to have been taking help from a group of scholars in the story’s development. They have collected scores of intricate paintings created by artists across the nation to serve as references for setting, costumes and action. They include scenes from Ram’s birthplace Ayodhya, a gold-splashed Lanka and a lush-green Mithila with Nepalese architecture. Beside battles between the devas and the rakshasas and the aquatic underwater life, among others.