Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Ramayana’, which is among the most talked about films of the year 2026, continues to be in the headlines. 23 powerful actors will play important roles in the film. Now another big name has been added to this film starring stalwarts like Ranbir Kapoor (Lord Ram), Sai Pallavi (Mata Sita), Yash (Raavan) and Ravi Dubey (Lakshman). According to the official announcement of Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival, senior actor Anupam Kher will lend his voice to the character of ‘Jatayu’ in this mythological saga. Earlier there were speculations that Amitabh Bachchan could voice this character, but now Anupam Kher’s name has been confirmed. The fight scene of Jatayu protecting Sita ji from Ravana will be very emotional and the highlight of the film.
Jatayu of Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Ramayana’, who played 6 different characters
Amidst the discussion of the modern adaptation of Jatayu in Nitesh Tiwari’s film, memories of that golden era of Doordarshan are refreshed, when actor Sunil Verma played the timeless character of Jatayu in Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Ramayana’. Very few people know that Sunil Verma played not only Jatayu but also 5 more important roles in this historical serial. He started with Indradev, after which he was also seen as Garuda Devta, Ravana’s son, Chyavan Rishi and Sutiksha Muni. Bringing alive 6 different characters in one show with his versatility was a testament to his excellent acting ability.
The journey from Prithvi Theater to Umargaon and the challenges of becoming Jatayu.
Sunil Verma inherited the art of acting from his father, who worked in Ashok Kumar’s production ‘Bandini’. After being active in plays during his studies, he reached Mumbai to try his luck and joined Prithvi Theatre. It was here that he met Vijay Kavish, who played the role of Lord Shiva in ‘Ramayana’, who took him to Ramanand Sagar. He was selected after audition in Umargaon. However, playing the character of Jatayu was not easy. Due to the heavy crown and tightly tied costume, he could not even move his neck and acted only with his eyes. According to Sunil Lahiri, who played the character of Laxman, to fly Jatayu in the air, his hands were tied with feathers and hung on a hook, which was a very risky and tiring task.
A period of success, work with big stars and then the shadow of anonymity
After the immense success of ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Uttar Ramayana’, Sunil Verma created his own place in the Hindi cinema and TV world. He worked in serials like ‘Tipu Sultan’ and ‘Sarzameen’, ‘Hathiyaar’, ‘Fateh’ and Divya Bharti’s famous film ‘Rang’. During this time, he got a chance to share the screen with veteran actors like Vinod Khanna, Jitendra, Amrita Singh and Ayesha Jhulka. At that time, fans used to touch his feet out of respect after seeing him.
Away from the glitz: The conflict in Patna and today’s situation
With changing times, work in big banner films stopped and Sunil Verma started moving away from the mainstream. Today he is living his life in Patna, the capital of Bihar, away from the glare of TV and films. To survive the financial crunch, he had to work in B-grade projects and even small advertisements. Talking openly about his situation, he had shared in a conversation that along with these small acting projects, he is also managing a small business to earn his living.
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