Exclusive | Panchayat and Subedaar actor Faisal Malik roped in as Kumbhkaran in Ramayana, joins Ranbir Kapoor, Yash

FIlmmaker Nitesh Tiwari’s magnum opus Ramayana has sparked cast bombilate since its promulgation. Spell doer Bobby Deol was earlier linked to the role of Kumbhakaran, younger brother of Ravan (Yash), that has now been denied.We have exclusively learnt that Faisal Malik, known for his role in Panchayat and recently seen in Subedaar, will play the mighty warrior. He has already completed the first schedule of the film, slated for release this Diwali.A source said, “He joined Yash for the introductory Kumbhakaran scene at Prime Focus studio in Mumbai, shot with an international action crew. The sequences are heavy on graphics — similar to Avatar.” The source added that the major fight sequences, part of the second installment, are yet to be filmed. “His height and heavily built frame perfectly suit the character,” they noted. The Ramayana team has not officially confirmed the cast, and Faisal Malik declined to comment.Meanwhile, actor Raghav Juyal has been linked to the role of Ravan’s son Meghnath, though this remains unconfirmed. The film’s first look was reportedly slated for Ram Navami (March 27) at the Gateway of India, but the unveiling has been delayed due to the ongoing Middle East crisis. Till then, the cast has been kept under wraps. Besides Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi, the cast includes Sunny Deol as Hanuman, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman, Arun Govil as Dashrath, Indira Krishnan as Kaushalya, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Sheeba Chaddha as Manthara, Vivek Oberoi as Vidyutjiva and Kajal Aggarwal as Mandodari.Produced by Namit Malhotra, the film has music by AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer, both Oscar-winning composers. Director Tiwari has also written the script with Shridhar Raghavan.The team has confirmed this year's Diwali release for Part 1, while Part 2 will be released on Diwali 2027. The production house has roped in top international crew members for the film. About Faisal Malik:First noticed in Anurag Kashyap's film Gangs of Wasseypur as a comic cop, the actor shot to fame with the OTT series Panchayat as Deputy Pradhan Prahlad Cha, which has had four seasons so far. Since then, he has done many films and series, including Tribhawan Mishra CA Pass and Swipe Crime (2024).His last two feature films, the horror-comedy Thamma (2025) where he played a cop, and the Anil Kapoor-starrer Subedaar, where he played the antagonist Softy Bhaiya, have worked well for him. Panchayat's next season is expected to be shot soon.