Ramayana’s song Mangal Rang has run into another controversy with netizens pointing at a scene from the song where Ranbir Kapoor’s Lord Ram is being applied Haldi and Sita maa is also visible in that.
Sarika Sharma
October 27, 2026 / 10:34 IST
Ranbir Kapoor’s scene from Ramayana’s song has become a matter of debate
A scene from Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming film Ramayana with Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama and Sai Pallavi as Maa Sita has become a hot topic on social media and viewers are divided over it. While some viewers believe the sequence depicts Rama’s haldi ceremony, others argue that it shows preparations for his rajyabhishek (coronation).
The song Mangal Rang was released on October 25 and celebrates the love and sacred union of Lord Rama and Maa Sita.
The song has been composed by AR Rahman and sung by Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal. Mangal Rang, which was released over the weekend, has been attracting attention not only for its music but also for the visuals accompanying the track.
Why has the Ramayana scene now sparked yet another debate?
The discussion is mainly about a sequence in which women are seen applying haldi to Rama, while his wife Sita stands beside him.
One user on X questioned Sita’s presence during what they took as the groom’s haldi ceremony and asked if the scene was in accordance with traditional wedding customs.
Another viewer similarly questioned if the filmmakers missed a cultural detail.
Bollywood will never stop adding its own masala, even to the Ramayana. 😭
Since when did the bride sit and watch the groom’s Haldi ceremony in traditional Hindu weddings? The groom has his Haldi at his home, and the bride has hers at her own home in many Indian traditions. But Bollywood has to make everything cinematic, even if it means taking creative liberties with religious epics. #Ramayana #MangalRang — Pinki (@PinkiPragya) October 25, 2026
This is the Ramayana trailer, where Sita Ji watches Ram Ji haldi ceremony. Since when do brides watch the groom haldi ceremony? Isn’t this disrespectful to Hindu tradition? Hey @grok, fact-check this. Why does Bollywood distort Hindu traditions? Can they do the same with Islam? https://t.co/tH0itsxXHB — Abhishek Kumar (@Abhishek060722) October 25, 2026
Wait, why is Mata Sita attending Ram’s Haldi ceremony when she’s supposed to be his bride?
Did the Ramayana team overlook this detail or Am I missing something ? https://t.co/ncxyJItC5s — NASTIK (@nastik_bhai) October 25, 2026
The criticism has also led to broader questions about how religious epics are adapted for the screen and whether filmmakers should take creative liberties when depicting familiar stories and traditions.
Viewers suggest it isn’t their Haldi but Lord Rama’s rajyabhishek
Not everyone agreed with the haldi interpretation. Several viewers argued that the sequence could depict preparations for Rama’s coronation rather than a wedding ritual.
One user wrote on X that the scene was from Rama’s rajyabhishek ceremony. Another pointed to Sita’s costume, suggesting that it resembled the attire associated with the events leading up to Rama’s planned coronation in Ayodhya.
This is for Ram Ji’s Rajyabhishek Ceremony ✨ I’m sure some dumb people will think why is Sita maa watching his haldi ceremony 😭 #RAMAYANA https://t.co/EjTUrj6Nx8 — Sahil (@Sahilarchives) October 25, 2026
Sita Ram ji got married in Mithila. Only the royal men from Ayodhya went there after receiving the swayamvar news. So if it is a marriage scene it is possible that they both in Mithila only. Or may be this is not a haldi ceremony at all. So stfu Pinki aunty
— God Bless Mohabbatein (@sidharth0800) October 25, 2026
According to this interpretation, the scene could relate to the period before Kaikeyi asks King Dasharatha to send Rama into exile for 14 years. Sita’s presence beside Rama would therefore have a different narrative context from a wedding ceremony.
But the makers have not yet clarified the specific context of the sequence, and the competing interpretations remain part of the online discussion.
Mangal Rang faces scrutiny after the qawwali row
The debate over the visuals comes amid a separate discussion about the song’s musical arrangement. Some listeners have questioned what they perceive as qawwali and Sufi influences in Mangal Rang, arguing that the musical style is at odds with the film’s religious subject.
Others have also defended it, hence the song has drawn attention on two fronts: its musical influences and the interpretation of the scenes featuring Rama and Sita.
AR Rahman did react to the criticism and said: “After the first 10 years, people said, ‘Oh, you should do what you did in those first 10 years.’ But I can’t stay on old glory like Rockstar or Slumdog Millionaire. You can’t stagnate yourself—you have to be like a flowing river. Now Ramayana has come, and these songs are in five different languages. It’s an epic story almost every Indian knows. It is a movie, an epic, a story almost every Indian knows.”
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama and Sai Pallavi as Maa Sita. The ensemble cast also includes Yash as Raavana , Ravi Dubey, Sunny Deol, Rakul Preet Singh and Lara Dutta.
The film is going to release on November 5, 2026.
Sarika Sharma is Editor, Entertainment, MoneyControl.com. She has over 25 years of experience in the field of entertainment journalism.
first published: Oct 27, 2026 10:26 am
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