The first part of Nitish Tiwari's Ramayana is scheduled for release during Diwali 2026. Six months later, SS Rajamouli's Varanasi will hit the cinemas, in Summer 2027. While Ranbir Kapoor is playing Rama, the hero of Ramayana, Mahesh Babu's character in Varanasi is going to be part-fiction, part-divine. Since Rajamouli and Vijayendra Prasad have talked about his Rama avatar appearance in Varanasi, it is safe to assume that he will be seen as the God for at least 30 minutes.
So, the entire country is going to compare the two actors. Ranbir Kapoor's challenge is that he will have to look divine without any cinematic frills. Mahesh Babu's challenge is somewhat lesser. For, his character is primarily a cinema hero character that takes the form of Rama for a limited duration. Also, Nitish Tiwari is no match to Rajamouli. You can be sure that Mahesh's task is made relatively easier by the biggest filmmaker helming the project.
Another unspoken advantage that Mahesh Babu enjoys is that he is not a Bollywood hero. So, he doesn't come with the baggage of an Animal or a Sanju - two of the biggest hits in Ranbir Kapoor's career.
