Liked Prabhas in Adipurush? Take a look at other Telugu actors who played Lord Ram before

Prabhas, after a series of setbacks, is gearing up for the biggest test of his life with Adipurush, the retelling of Ramayana where he’s cast as Lord Rama. There’s no doubt that the opportunity comes with immense pressure behind his back but his first look in the film put all such fears to rest. Telugu cinema has a long history with the Ramayana and this isn’t a bad time to look back at the other actors who lived their part as Lord Ram on screen over the years.

NTR - Lava Kusa

Lava Kusa set a golden standard for the mythology genre in Telugu cinema. The first full-fledged colour Telugu film directed by C Pullaiah went through a lot of trouble to see the light of the day but was one of the biggest grosser of its time. NTR’s tender, restrained portrayal of a grief-stricken king caught between his idea of dharma and the love for his wife, lends a humanistic approach to a larger-than-life part and makes you sympathise for him, all of this in a film essentially driven by Anjali Devi.

Haranath - Sita Rama Kalyanam

Another NTR connection, but you can’t help it while charting the history of Telugu mythologies. In the film directed by NTR, where the actor sunk his teeth into the role of a ten-headed Ravana, he let the upcoming Haranath take the centre stage as Lord Rama. In his younger years, Haranath had an undeniable on-screen charisma and the right exuberance, elegance and gait to be cast as the almighty. The film is an out-and-out NTR show but Haranath certainly leaves a mark.

Sobhan Babu - Sampoorna Ramayanam

While Sobhan Babu is more popular for his family dramas where he’s caught between multiple women in his life, his career in Telugu cinema took off with several appearances in mythologies, devotional dramas. Playing second fiddle to NTR as Shatrughna in Lava Kusa, he eventually went on to play Lord Rama himself in Sampoorna Ramayanam, a film that traces the journey of the character until he vanquishes Ravana. Though comparisons with NTR were inevitable, he responded to the challenge with grace and poise.

Ravikumar - Seeta Kalyanam

A rare mythological film entirely conceived as a musical, Seeta Kalyanam, written by Mullapudi Venkataramana and directed by Bapu, will always have a special place in the audience’s hearts for its stunning visual imagery. The premise is crisp and restricts the scope of the Ramayana to the marriage of Rama and Sita. Though it’s hard to keep your eyes off Jayaprada as Sita, watch out for Ravikumar’s performance as Rama with youthful innocence, simplicity and minimal dialogue.

Balakrishna - Sri Rama Rajyam

When the charm of the mythological genre had waned in Telugu cinema and not many believed in its potential to be money-spinners, Sri Rama Rajyam was an earnest attempt to make the epics more relevant to the gen-Z in a language they comprehend. Despite being an unofficial remake of Lava Kusa, Balakrishna put his larger-than-life persona behind to play Rama with authority and composure that makes you wonder how this dimension of the star remains underutilised to date.