Sheeba Chadha did not expect so much buzz around Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana: 'I didn't know it was so ambitious'

Sheeba Chadha, who essays the role of Manthara in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, says she didn’t anticipate so much buzz around the film when she shot for it
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; September 3, 2025)

Intrigue is the first word that admittedly comes to Sheeba Chadha’s mind when we mention Ramayana. The actor, who plays Manthara to Lara Dutta’s Kaikeyi in filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari’s ambitious drama, finds the intrigue around the Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, and Yash-starrer surreal.

She admits that at the time of shooting her portions, she didn’t expect such heightened anticipation around the movie. “Everybody everywhere is asking me about Ramayana. When I was shooting it, I did not know that the project is so ambitious! The intrigue or curiosity around it [is off the roof],” she exclaims, before adding, “I have a small role, but it was fun working on the movie. My work was largely with Lara Dutta.”

For now though, the actor is focusing on The Trial’s second season, led by Kajol. Chadha reveals that this edition will explore the vulnerable side to her “daunting” character. “Malini is a strong character and stands her ground. But you see other shades to her this time.”
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The actor talks about working in filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari’s epic, finding delayed success in the industry and her love for comedy
Akash Bhatnagar (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 26, 2025)

Sheeba Chadha has been juggling between films and OTT and exploring different genres. While she loves doing intense roles, the actor admits that comedy, like she did in her recent web seres Bakaiti, makes her feel happier. “I have a clown inside of me. I wish I get more work where that clown comes alive,” she laughs.

Her show is an addition to the genre of small-town family stories on web. Ask her about the appeal of such stories to artistes, and she says, “It’s a lot of fun. When I used to do skits about mother-children relationships, I wouldn’t get to know when the work would start and end. There is so much ease in the writing, and it even lands easily. They are slice-of-life, quite literally as they show the bhasad of life.”

For Sheeba, her next project can become one of the biggest films in Bollywood, filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana. It is reported that she will play Manthara in it. When mentioned the scale of the project, she shares, “I never thought about it. Actually, my dates weren’t working out initially for the film. I almost didn’t [do it].” She adds, “It’s great to be a part of something that has such big names attached to it, as it is good for your work profile, but as an actor, you just go and do your work. My role is quite a small one, but I just feel fortunate to have got the chance to play that.”

Many character actors from Bollywood have found delayed success in the industry, especially due to OTT. Sheeba is one of those actors. While she acknowledges it, she has no regrets. “Fame was never my goal. Today, fame and everything, it just explodes, but when we started, it wasn’t certainly a thing. I would think that it is reserved for other big people and I don’t really associate it with myself. But I would be lying if I don’t say that there were certain roles that I feel would have been fun if I would have got the chance to play them,” she shares.

Sheeba adds that good roles can come in films as well as OTT. “It’s just that in OTT, you have more time to show complexity. But it all boils down to how well the character is written,” she ends.