Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana is easily one of the biggest films to come out of Indian cinema, but for actor Sheeba Chadha, the massive scale of the project never influenced her performance. The actor, who essays the pivotal role of Manthara in the mythological epic, says she approached the film like any other acting assignment, by focusing solely on understanding her character.
Sheeba Chadha on playing Manthara
Speaking about her experience to Variety India, the Bakaiti actor shared that she never walked onto the set thinking about the film’s scale or the expectations surrounding it.
“You don’t walk onto a set thinking of that. That would be very crazy. When you go onto a set like that, for me, it’s a day of work. I’m just trying to do it as best as I can.”
The actor revealed that she deliberately avoided viewing Manthara through the conventional lens of a villain. Instead, she tried to understand the emotional motivations behind the character’s actions.
“I don’t think I approached her with any preconceived notion. These are very well-etched characters, and I think this is a recalibration in understanding them,” she said.
According to Sheeba, she imagined Manthara as someone deeply protective of Queen Kaikeyi rather than someone driven purely by malice.
“In my head, she was almost like a protective mother to Kaikeyi. It came from a place of asking, ‘Why is that right not being given? Why is that space not being valued the same way?’ She is, in a way, simply looking out for her own.”
Sheeba Chadha focused on characters in Ramayana
Sheeba believes that thinking too much about the scale of a production can become intimidating for an actor. For her, the priority has always been the scene at hand rather than the grandeur surrounding it.
“If you sit there and set your mind on the scale of it, it can get intimidating. For me, this is my character, this is my director, this is my co-actor. I just need to perform that moment to the best of my ability,” she explained.
Produced by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios in association with Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, Ramayana stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Ravi Dubey as Lakshman.
Sheeba Chadha’s portrayal of Manthara is expected to play a crucial role in the epic’s narrative, with the character serving as one of the key catalysts in the events leading to Lord Ram’s exile.
The first part of Ramayana is slated for a theatrical release on November 6, which is Ranbir Kapoor’s daughter Raha’s birthday, while the second instalment is scheduled to arrive in cinemas in 2027.