Anjali Arora As Sita: Why The Ramayan Row Won't Die

A teaser dropped on 19 August 2026 and the internet has not stopped arguing since. Anjali Arora — the creator who went viral in 2022 off the Kacha Badam reel — is playing Mata Sita in a new mythological film. The reaction was immediate, loud, and mostly furious.

Here is what the film actually is, what triggered the backlash, and why this particular row is bigger than the usual casting complaint.

What is Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha?

It is a Hindi mythological film directed by Abhishek Singh, with Dev Sharma as Ram and Anjali Arora as Sita. The first poster and teaser were unveiled on 19 August 2026, and the film is scheduled to release on 25 September 2026. It is a separate, much smaller production from the big-budget Ramayana that has been dominating headlines all year.

Why people are angry

The objections split into two very different piles, and conflating them is why the argument keeps going in circles.

1. The casting itself

A large section of viewers objected to a social-media personality — one whose fame came from a viral dance reel and who has been the subject of past online controversies — being cast as a figure of religious devotion. Comment sections filled with lines like "ghor kalyug" and "our faith is not for sale." Some users went further and demanded an FIR against the makers.

The uncomfortable subtext in a lot of this criticism is not really about acting ability. It is about who is considered "worthy" of playing a goddess, and that is a judgement being made almost entirely on a woman''s past internet presence.

2. The VFX

The second complaint is far less loaded and far more universal: the visual effects in the teaser looked cheap. Comparisons to Adipurush arrived within hours, including the now-standard sarcastic version — "respect for Adipurush" — from people who had spent 2023 mocking that film''s effects and suddenly found something they rated lower.

The Adipurush shadow

Every Ramayana adaptation since 2023 has been graded against Adipurush, and not kindly. That film taught Indian audiences to treat mythological VFX as a red flag rather than a selling point, and it taught them that a coordinated online backlash can genuinely dent a release.

This is exactly the pressure the far bigger Ramayana production has been navigating too — we covered how Hrithik Roshan defended Ranbir Kapoor''s Ramayana amid VFX backlash, and why the trailer hype around the biggest version functions almost independently of the story. There is also Bhavna Talwar''s Valmiki Ramayana, which sparked its own debate earlier this year.

Three Ramayanas in one release window, all judged on the same two questions: does it look expensive, and does the casting feel respectful.

The publicity problem

Here is the part nobody involved will say out loud. Before 19 August, almost no one outside trade circles knew this film existed. A week later it had been covered by NDTV, India Today, Hindustan Times, the Indian Express and Republic. A small mythological film with modest effects got national coverage it could never have bought.

That does not mean the outrage was manufactured. It does mean outrage and marketing have become impossible to separate — a pattern we traced across years of Bollywood rows in Bollywood scandals that shook the industry and in the long-running Kangana vs Karan feud.

What happens next

The film releases 25 September 2026. Watch for three things: whether any formal complaint actually proceeds beyond social-media demands, whether the makers recut or upgrade the VFX before release, and whether Anjali Arora addresses the casting criticism directly. So far she has not issued a detailed public response.

FAQ

Who is playing Sita in Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha?

Anjali Arora, the content creator best known for the viral Kacha Badam reel.

When does the film release?

25 September 2026.

Is this the same as Ranbir Kapoor''s Ramayana?

No. They are entirely separate films from different makers. Ranbir Kapoor''s Ramayana is a far larger production.

Who plays Ram?

Dev Sharma.

Why is the VFX being criticised?

Viewers felt the teaser''s effects looked dated and unfinished, and compared them unfavourably to Adipurush.

More Ramayana coverage: Ranbir Kapoor''s Ramayana teaser reaction · All Bollywood controversies