Nitesh Tiwari shoots for Ramayan with Ranbir Kapoor's body double as the actor is busy working on Love & War

(From left) Sai Pallavi and Ranbir Kapoor on the film’s set

Two of Ranbir Kapoor's ambitious projects, Ramayana, and Love & War, are in production simultaneously. While the superstar is busy filming Sanjay Leela Bhansali's romantic drama, his absence hasn't impacted Nitesh Tiwari's mythological drama. With the actor having completed most of his portions late last year, we've heard that Tiwari is now shooting certain sequences with Kapoor's body double.

Nitesh Tiwari and Sanjay Leela Bhansali

A production insider tells us, "Ranbir has completed almost all his crucial scenes for the first instalment of Ramayana; only patchwork is remaining, which can be managed without him. Since his dates were assigned to Love & War, Ramayana's production team planned the shoot in such a way that there are no delays. Right now, a few minor sequences are being filmed with a body double, after which it will be a wrap on the first edition."

Tiwari has envisioned Ramayana, which also stars Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana and Sunny Deol as Hanuman, as a two-part offering. If things go as planned, the second part will roll in May. The source adds, "It is a VFX-heavy film, and a lot of work is being done in post-production. Nitesh will dedicate the next few months to that. The second instalment is likely to roll in the summer, with Ranbir expected to join by June." Touted as one of the biggest films of Indian cinema, Ramayana's first part is slated to release in Diwali 2026, and the second in Diwali 2027. Mid-day reached out to producer Namit Malhotra, who didn't respond till press time.