Ramayana's Urmila, Sonia Balani, says she wasn't worried about less screen time, is 'okay to be part of something big'

Sonia Balani plays Urmila, Lakhsman's wife and Sita's sister, in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana.

Actor Sonia Balani had a small part in the recently released epic Ramayana. The actor plays Urmila, Sita’s sister and Lakshman’s wife. But while the epic gives Urmila a significant role, the film cut almost all of her sequences from the final product, giving Sonia just a minor cameo with no lines. The actor, however, isn’t too sad about it.

Sonia Balani (R) with Sai Pallavi in a still from Ramayana.

Sonia Balani on playing Urmila

In Valmiki’s Ramayan, Urmila is the younger daughter of Mithila’s King Janaka, sister to Sita. After Lord Rama wins Sita’s hand in the swayamvar, he expresses his wish that his brothers be also married at the same time. That is how Lakshman marries Urmila. However, when Rama is exiled by Kaikeyi, Lakshman accompanies him, leaving Urmila behind in Ayodhya for 14 years. In an interview with India Today, Sonia talked about her character’s strength. “It's one of the biggest sacrifices that we have known about. Being a woman of today's generation, it's beyond my imagination. I am yet to fathom how she found that strength. I just can't imagine anyone making such a big sacrifice, that too, right after getting married,” the actor said.

‘It's ok to be part of something big’

Valmiki’s Ramayan gives Urmila some scope and character growth. She confronts Lakshman for leaving her in Ayodhya, but also agrees with her husband when he says he is duty-bound to serve his brother. According to the epic, Urmila sleeps for 14 years, day and night, allowing Lakshman to stay awake all those years and protect Rama and Sita during the vanvaas.

These episodes are not part of Ramayana Part 1. But Sonia said she learnt from her character’s tendency to never try and be the ‘main character’. The actor added, “I feel she made every sacrifice with a smile on her face, and she never wanted to be the main character in her own story. That's really my takeaway. Sometimes, it's okay to be part of something big and be happy with what you have done. You have done it with your best intentions and the best energy. Sometimes, it's about greater things that we can't see right in the moment.”

About Ramayana

Produced by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios in collaboration with DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, Ramayana is planned as a two-part film. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman. The first part released worldwide on November 5, 2026, while the second part is set for Diwali 2028.