Sheena Chohan on Ramayana’s Grand Premiere: “Nitesh Tiwari Has Reimagined Sita as a Warrior Princess”

The actress, who recently featured in the spiritually-rooted film Sant Tukaram, reflects on the star-studded premiere of Ramayana and the rising wave of mythological cinema celebrating powerful female characters.

Mumbai’s film fraternity came together for an exclusive premiere of Ramayana, with Alia Bhatt, Rakulpreet Singh and several other prominent names from the industry in attendance. Among the guests was actress Sheena Chohan, who walked away from the screening visibly moved by what she called a landmark moment for Indian storytelling.

Speaking about the experience, Chohan said witnessing India’s history and timeless truths reach a global audience filled her with pride, and she didn’t hold back her admiration for director Nitesh Tiwari’s take on the epic - particularly his portrayal of Sita.

A Warrior Princess, Reimagined

For an actress who grew up, like most Indians, watching Sita portrayed primarily as a symbol of sacrifice and devotion, Tiwari’s version struck a different chord. “What I find particularly exciting about Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana is his reimagining of Sita as a warrior princess, bringing out her courage, power and agency,” Chohan said, calling it a refreshing and empowering addition to a character who has inspired generations.

She added that her own journey with Indian storytelling began with the Ramayana itself, which made seeing it brought to life on such a large cinematic scale feel deeply personal. “It is wonderful to see our mythology being presented with such cinematic ambition,” she noted, praising the director’s evident care in reworking the epic’s female characters for a modern audience.

A Larger Shift Toward Spiritual Cinema

Chohan believes the premiere is part of a bigger pattern reshaping Indian cinema. Audiences, she said, are increasingly gravitating toward stories that offer more than surface-level entertainment - ones that reconnect them with their roots, faith and cultural identity.

What makes this moment stand out further, according to her, is how many of these stories are centering women as their driving force. She pointed to Sita in Ramayana, Parvati in Hanuman Ansh, and Mahasakthi in Mookuthi Amman 2 as examples of a new generation of female characters defined by courage and spiritual strength rather than passivity.

Having played Avali in the upcoming devotional drama Sant Tukaram, Chohan said she has personally experienced how such stories resonate across age groups. “It is encouraging to see more filmmakers exploring this space with such passion and scale,” she said.

“More Than Just a Film”

Reflecting on the premiere and the team behind Ramayana, Chohan described the project as something beyond cinema. “I believe Ramayan is more than just a film. It is a representation of our culture, our heritage and our civilisation, and an endeavour to raise the bar of Indian cinema while taking our stories to the world,” she said, extending her wishes to the makers and urging audiences to rally behind the film.

Chohan’s own filmography reflects a growing appetite for roles with emotional weight - from the devotional Avali in Sant Tukaram to an upcoming biopic in which she plays Lilith, a she-devil. The range, she suggests, is intentional: she’s drawn to characters that challenge her and carry meaning beyond the screen.

For Chohan, the Ramayana premiere wasn’t just a red-carpet event - it was confirmation that India’s oldest stories still have the power to move audiences across generations, cultures and continents.