Ramayana (film)

Ramayana (titled onscreen as Namit Malhotra's Ramayana) is an upcoming two-part Indian Hindi language epic action-adventure film directed by Nitesh Tiwari and written by Namit Malhotra and Shridhar Raghavan.^[1] The films features an ensemble cast including Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Ravi Dubey, Sunny Deol, and Yash.^[2] and is based on the Ramayana, a Hindu text.

Ramayana: Part 1 is scheduled to be theatrically released in 2026 in India, coinciding with Diwali. Ramayana: Part 2 is scheduled to be theatrically released in 2027 in India, coinciding with Diwali. Hans Zimmer and A. R. Rahman are composing the films main soundtrack. The duology has a budget of over ₹4,000 crore (US$470 million), which makes them the most expensive Indian films ever made.^[3]

• Ranbir Kapoor in dual roles as Rama and Parashurama^[4][5]
• Sai Pallavi as Sita^[6][7]
  • Kiara Sadh as young Sita^[8]
• Ravi Dubey as Lakshman^[9]
• Sunny Deol as Hanuman^[10]
• Yash as Ravana^[11]
• Amitabh Bachchan as Jatayu^[12]
• Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi^[13]
• Vivek Oberoi as Vidyutjihva^[14]
• Arun Govil as Dasharath^[13]
• Indira Krishnan as Kausalya^[15]
• Kunal Kapoor as Indra^[16]
• Kajal Aggarwal as Mandodari^[17]
• Rakul Preet Singh as Shurpanakha^[18]
  • Dishita Sehgal as young Shurpanakha^[19]
• Adinath Kothare as Bharat^[20]
• Sheeba Chaddha as Manthara^[21]
• Shishir Sharma as Vasishtha^[22]
• Ajinkya Deo as Vishvamitra^[23]
• Sonia Balani as Urmila^[24]
• Shobana as Kaikasi
• Chetan Hansraj as Sumali^[25][26]

In May 2017, producers Allu Aravind, Namit Malhotra, and Madhu Mantena announced a live-action feature film trilogy based on the Hindu epic Ramayana.^[27] The producers' plan was to commence filming by 2020 and maintain a relatively short gap between the release of each part. The first installment was scheduled to be released in 2021.^[28] Nitesh Tiwari and Ravi Udyawar were hired to co-direct the films in July 2019, and Shridhar Raghavan signed on to write the screenplay.^[29] Tiwari & Udyawar said their primary motivation to take up the series was because they felt a sense of responsibility towards their respective children, who according to Tiwari were familiar with the broad outline of the Ramayana but had not engaged with it in its depth. He further cited the significant advancements in visual effects since the 1987-88 Ramayan television series as another motivation to do the series.^[30]

In November 2019, Tiwari said that Raghavan had been writing the script for the past three years under the guidance of numerous scholars and pandits who had extensive knowledge of the scripture in a "responsible manner" to make the epic relevant to contemporary audiences.^[31] In April 2020, he stated that they were carefully identifying sensitive aspects of the story that should remain untouched, so that they do not cause hurt to possible public sensibilities involved with them, while determining areas where they could take cinematic liberties to enhance the film's overall viewing experience.^[32] He described the film as being technologically prep-heavy, as the magical qualities of the epic, like the talking animals or the enchanted forests mentioned in it, gave them an opportunity to beautifully present a world on screen that, in his view, had not been seen before.^[33] As the COVID-19 pandemic led to a nationwide lockdown in India, he continued working on the film series' script over virtual group calls with team members across the country.^[34] In June 2021, Mantena revealed that they were following the process that James Cameron used for Avatar, and that over 200 artists from across the globe had been working on the film for two years, including a few Academy Award winners.^[35] In December 2022, he said that the script would be ready in a couple of months, and that they were aiming to start shooting from September 2023.^[36] In June 2023, he refuted rumors reports of Ramayana's indefinite postponement, and said that they were going to begin shoot by the end of the year.^[37] In March 2024, it was reported that DNEG virtual production had come on board as the producer alongside Mantena.^[38] In the same month, it was reported that Mantena had stepped back from his role as a producer citing financial concerns.^[39] He later got involved in a legal tussle with Malhotra's Prime Focus Technologies regarding the IP rights of the film, which was ultimately settled when he was provided compensation of ₹80 cr (US$9 million).^[39]

In January 2024, it was reported that Kapoor & Pallavi were expected to commence filming by shooting dialogue-heavy scenes first in March, followed by crowd sequences, including some war portions in April and May.^[40] In March, it was reported that the filming had been pushed back to April as the costume and art departments needed some time to perfect the outfits and sets respectively.^[41] Principal photography for the first part began on 2 April, in Film City, Mumbai, under the working title God Power, with the first schedule reportedly featuring gurukula sequences involving the child actors portraying the roles of the four princes of Ayodhya and Shishir Sharma's Vasishtha.^[42][43] On 5 April, pictures from the sets, featuring Govil, Dutta and Chaddha and director Tiwari, were leaked on social media and went viral.^[44] Due to this, the makers imposed a strict no-phone policy on the movie sets.^[45] On 27 April, again pictures from the sets were leaked on social media, this time featuring Kapoor and Pallavi.^[46] Soon after, social media began speculating whether the pictures were being leaked by the makers themselves to generate hype and draw public opinion on how the costumes looked on the cast.^[47] In August, Terry Notary confirmed that he was working as the action director.^[48] Some of the crucial war scenes involving Ravana were shot at Aksa Beach, Mumbai and in a studio in Dahisar in February 2025.^[49] Yash went to the Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain before commencing shooting for the film in April 2025.^[50] In May 2025, it was announced that stunt director Guy Norris, who had previously worked on films like Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and The Suicide Squad, had been chosen to choreograph action sequences for the film and was closely working with Yash to accomplish the same.^[51] The principal photography for the first part wrapped by 1 July.^[52]

The film's soundtrack is being composed by A. R. Rahman alongside Hans Zimmer. The film marks Zimmer's debut as an original score composer in Indian cinema.^[53] The first single titled "Ramayana (The Introduction Theme)" was released in its short version on 03 July 2025.

On 6 November 2024, Malhotra officially announced Ramayana: Part 1 and Part 2 through a poster, along with the release dates for both the films.^[54][55] Malhotra has repeatedly marketed the film as a global film, presenting an Indian subject but for the world.^[56][57] He has on numerous occasions articulated his vision for the film, expressing his ambition for it to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with the world's biggest productions, such as the Dunes, or the Avatars.^[58] He has also asserted that he would make no excuses about budgets or limitations in technical expertise—factors that have historically hindered large-scale Indian productions from soaring visually—and has promised "never-before-seen" visuals.^[59] The first glimpse titled "Ramayana: The Introduction" was released on 3 July 2025.^[60] In August, Los Angeles Times reported that Malhotra intended to draw in six categories of demographics with the duology, namely men and women, young and old, and "believer and non-believer", supposedly in the faith of Hinduism. Malhotra also added that he'd consider the film series a "failure" if people in the West didn't like it.^[61]

The first part of Ramayana is scheduled to be released on 6 November 2026 in India, on the occasion of Diwali, in standard and IMAX formats.^[62] Namit Malhotra announced plans to visually dub the film in various international languages, i.e., synchronizes lip movements with a new, dubbed audio track in a different language, for example English, Spanish or Japanese, aiming to make dubbed content appear more natural and authentic the film in multiple languages by utilizing advanced AI-driven technologies.^[63]

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