Lara Dutta has opened up about the costume debate around Ramayana.
She said the makers made deliberate choices and urged viewers not to focus on tiny details.
Dutta discussed her conversations with director Nitesh Tiwari about Kaikeyi’s jewellery and appearance.
Ramayana: Part One is eyeing ₹1000 crore at the global box office. In India, it has crossed the ₹500 crore mark. Before the movie's release, the costume choices have remained a talking point. Sai Pallavi’s Sita and Lara Dutta’s Kaikeyi have been among the most debated looks.
Viewers felt some of the costumes were too modern for the Treta Yuga. Lara’s trailer appearance, including a saree and long-sleeved blouse, was one of the main flashpoints. Lara has now broken her silence on Ramayana's outfit criticism.
What Lara Dutta said about Ramayana outfit backlash
Lara has now spoken about the issue for the first time. In an interview with News18, she said the costume decisions were made with intent and that audiences should not get hung up on small details in a project of this scale.
“I know what the reason was for us to pick certain kinds of garments and the way that we wanted those to be depicted. It’s such a vast project that you’re undertaking and one nitpicked on such tiny things," Lara said.
Lara said Kaikeyi’s roots could have influenced her jewellery and appearance differently from those of Kaushalya and Sumitra, but the makers went with a wider visual standard.
“One of my first conversations with Nitesh sir was that if Kaikeyi came from the kingdom of Kekaya, wouldn’t her jewellery be very different from the other two queens? Wouldn’t she bring her own stree-dhan? But if you want to get into such minute details, then you’re opening up a Pandora’s box and then you would’ve historians and other experts coming up and saying, ‘Oh, how can this be shown and depicted?’ So, there was a standardisation that was decided to be adopted across all three kingdoms – Mithila, Ayodhya and Lanka – to differentiate between those cultures," Lara said.
She said she fully aligned herself with the makers’ vision and preferred to keep the bigger picture in mind rather than challenge every creative choice.
About Ramayana
Backed by Namit Malhotra and Yash, Ramayana Part One stars Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana.
It debuted in theatres on November 5, 2026. The second part will be released on Diwali 2028.
