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Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the first installment of the two-part series stars Ranbir Kapoor as Prince Rama and Yash as the demon king Ravana, with supporting roles played by Sai Pallavi, Lara Dutta, Vivek Oberoi and Anupam Kher. The production employed Hollywood visual effects expertise along with Oscar-winning composers Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman, according to a review in The National. Premiered in Los Angeles the previous week, the film has been dubbed into nearly 40 languages with artificial intelligence used to synchronise lip movements, The Straits Times reported.
The Ramayana, traditionally attributed to the ancient poet Valmiki, follows Prince Rama’s 14-year exile as he rescues his wife Sita from Ravana with assistance from his brother Lakshmana and the monkey god Hanuman. This narrative has profoundly shaped Hindu beliefs, festivals and cultural traditions across South and Southeast Asia for centuries, a fact highlighted in coverage by The Straits Times. Released three days ahead of Diwali, the timing aligns with one of Hinduism’s most significant celebrations centered on Rama’s story.
Critics offered varied assessments of the ambitious adaptation, which industry experts cited by Forbes India place among the costliest film projects ever mounted globally. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV awarded the movie three stars out of five, writing that its visual spectacle often overshadowed the story while the acting proved wildly inconsistent. Shubhra Gupta in The Indian Express also gave three stars after overcoming initial reservations about the scale, describing it as the perfect epic with sufficient sorcery, thrills and adventure.
International reaction echoed the split verdict, with Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw terming it a thoroughly engaging, rousing and spectacular Indian epic melodrama. One reviewer noted that all the money clearly shows on screen and praised the performances and effects, yet found the first half sluggish and the music underwhelming, according to accounts in the BBC. Such responses underscore the challenge of balancing reverence for a sacred text with demands for cinematic innovation.
The project’s scale reflects the rapid growth in Indian cinema budgets, evolving from Rs 3.5 crore for the 1975 classic Sholay to Rs 600 crore for 2024’s Kalki 2898 AD, a Forbes India analysis showed. Previous high-stakes productions such as Baahubali 2 earned Rs 1,788 crore worldwide on a Rs 250 crore budget, while Adipurush with costs between Rs 500 crore and Rs 700 crore resulted in substantial losses. This context frames Ramayana as a high-risk endeavor for an industry increasingly targeting global audiences through mythological retellings.
Producer Namit Malhotra has described the combined budget for both parts, including promotion and release expenses, as approximately $500 million, a figure corroborated across reports from NDTV and The Straits Times. The film avoids relying solely on religious devotion, instead functioning as a revenge tragedy crafted for broad appeal with its cinematography and score creating a sense of wonder, The National assessment found. Future installments will test whether the initial mixed reception translates into sustained commercial success in a market where spectacle alone has not always guaranteed returns.
