Mumbai: Nitesh Tiwari‘s much-anticipated Ramayana: Part I arrived in theatres on November 5, 2026, bringing the story of one of India’s most revered epics to the big screen with a star-studded cast and an ambitious cinematic presentation. Featuring Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Goddess Sita and Yash as Ravana, the film has opened to a strong response, with several celebrities praising its performances, music and visual spectacle.
The film has been released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, aiming to reach audiences across the country. Its scale, cast and technical team have made it one of the most closely watched Indian film releases of the year.
Music for the project has been composed by A R Rahman and Hans Zimmer, while Oscar-winning visual effects company DNEG has worked on its visual presentation. The film is directed by Tiwari, known for Dangal and Chhichhore, and produced by Namit Malhotra and Yash.
The first instalment introduces the principal characters and sets up the larger story, which will continue in the second part. While the film has received encouraging early reactions, its long-term box-office performance will depend on audience response over the coming days.
Ramayana receives praise from celebrities
Several film personalities have publicly congratulated the cast and crew following the release. Singer Badshah, who watched the film, praised its visual presentation, performances and background music.
In a post on X, Badshah described the film’s frames as breathtaking and said the characters felt real. He also said the story moved him emotionally despite being familiar to audiences who had grown up hearing the epic.
Badshah singled out the background score and praised the performances of Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash, Ravie Dubey, Lara Dutta, Arun Govil and Rakul Preet Singh. He also highlighted the Jatayu sequence and the film’s music, urging audiences to watch it in theatres.
He credited casting director Mukesh Chhabra for the casting choices, particularly mentioning Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman.
Filmmaker Karan Johar also joined those praising the film, while director Atlee sent his good wishes to the cast and crew.
Actor Vijay Deverakonda wished the team a successful release and described the film as a potential milestone for Indian cinema. He said he believed the project could take Indian stories, culture and imagination to audiences around the world.
Deverakonda also expressed excitement about watching Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash on the big screen.
Sunil Lahri expresses support for the film
Actor Sunil Lahri, who became widely recognised for playing Lakshman in Ramanand Sagar’s television adaptation of Ramayan, also shared his views ahead of the film’s release.
Lahri clarified that he had not watched the new film and did not consider himself an expert qualified to criticise it. He said the epic carried significance beyond India and was important to humanity as a whole.
He expressed confidence in director Nitesh Tiwari, referring to his previous work and the effort invested by the team.
However, Lahri also admitted that some aspects of the music had not fully impressed him, despite the involvement of celebrated composers A R Rahman and Hans Zimmer.
He emphasised that the story carried deep cultural, traditional, emotional and religious significance, and said its heritage should be preserved. His comments reflected the expectations surrounding a new screen adaptation of a story that has been part of Indian cultural life for generations.
Rs 75-100 crore opening day expected
The film’s box-office prospects have attracted considerable attention, with trade experts and cinema exhibitors offering optimistic opening estimates.
The film was expected to collect between Rs 75 crore and Rs 100 crore across languages on its opening day, according to estimates cited ahead of its release. Some industry observers also projected lifetime collections ranging from Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 3,000 crore if the film connected strongly with audiences.
Sameer Munshi, chief operating officer of Miraj Entertainment Ltd, told that the film had the potential to become one of the biggest theatrical successes in Indian cinema. He said the opening weekend, extending through the Diwali period, could match or exceed the performance of major releases.
Munshi also pointed to strong demand in Delhi-NCR, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, with Tier-2 markets reportedly performing ahead of expectations. Miraj planned to screen the film across 225 screens, with 960 shows a day in Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil.
Cinépolis India also reported strong advance demand. Ashish Misra, the chain’s head of commercialisation, said it had sold more than one lakh tickets and planned over 1,600 shows on the opening day.
However, Misra cautioned that the festive calendar could influence collections. With Dhanteras on Friday, Choti Diwali on Saturday and Diwali on Sunday, some audiences could prioritise family celebrations and religious observances over cinema visits, particularly during evening shows.
Exhibitor Akshaye Rathi said the film had the potential to establish new box-office benchmarks because of its cast, technical quality and scale. He added that its commercial performance would ultimately depend on how well the storytelling connected with audiences.
Trade analyst Sumit Kadel also suggested that the film could collect more than Rs 500 crore net in the Hindi market within seven days if it received strong word-of-mouth support. These figures remain projections rather than confirmed collections.
Nitesh Tiwari explains the Pushpak Viman design
One of the technical elements discussed ahead of the release was the design of the Pushpak Viman, the mythical flying vehicle associated with Ravana in the epic.
Director Nitesh Tiwari said the team considered around 40 to 50 designs before settling on the lotus-shaped version featured in the film.
The vehicle appears in the sequence involving Ravana’s abduction of Sita and the battle with Jatayu. Tiwari explained that the team had initially imagined a different design and developed parts of the sequence around that concept.
However, once the filmmakers settled on the final lotus-inspired design, they had to revisit and modify several aspects of the sequence.
Tiwari said the team wanted the vehicle to appear as though it could plausibly fly, rather than simply looking like a fantastical object. He added that the filmmakers wanted to incorporate a sense of science into its design.
The extensive design process reflects the production’s effort to create a distinctive visual world for the epic’s mythical elements.
West Bengal announces tax exemption
Another development surrounding the release was the announcement of a tax exemption for the film in West Bengal.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said Ramayana would receive tax-free status in the state. He made the announcement after members of the film’s cast attended Dussehra celebrations in Kolkata.
Adhikari said the film would join other productions that had received or were set to receive tax-free status in the state. He also spoke about the possibility of future films based on Indian mythological figures and epics, including Lord Krishna, Arjuna and the Mahabharata.
The announcement added another dimension to the film’s release, which has been accompanied by considerable public attention and expectations about its cultural reach.
Ramayana planned as a two-part cinematic adaptation
The film is envisioned as a two-part adaptation of the Ramayana, following Lord Rama’s journey, his exile, Sita’s abduction by Ravana and the eventual battle between the forces of good and evil.
The first instalment introduces the central characters and establishes the narrative leading towards the larger conflict. The second part is expected to continue the story and bring the confrontation between Rama and Ravana to the forefront.
The production has been mounted by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios in collaboration with DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations. Alongside the lead cast, the film features Arun Govil, Kunal Kapoor, Rakul Preet Singh, Lara Dutta and Ravie Dubey.
The release of Ramayana: Part I marks a major cinematic attempt to present the Indian epic to audiences across languages and markets. With early celebrity reactions offering praise for its performances and technical scale, the film now faces the bigger test of sustaining audience interest throughout its theatrical run.
The sequel is expected to arrive during Diwali 2027, although audiences will first be watching how the opening instalment performs at the box office and how viewers respond to the film’s interpretation of the epic.