There’s a veritable excitement around the release of Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana. And it has to do with the casting coup of bringing together Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash. Beyond the star-studded aura of this project though is an excitement to watch a timeless classic, a mythological epic unfold on the big screen. Ramayana, thanks to Ramanand Sagar and Arun Govil, has become a part of Indian mainstream culture in the last 4 decades. But that 1987 TV series is etched in the memory of almost every Indian viewer and the biggest task for 2026’s retelling is going to be to impress this very large diaspora of an audience. If the 2.5-minute preview of Ramayana is anything to go by, this very committed and invested audience will get a never-seen-before experience with a film that looks as impressive as any multi-million dollar Hollywood epic. If not better.
One is not trying to oversell this ambitious project. The first visuals of this fantasy, mythology epic, which were shown to a select section of the Indian media yesterday at producer Namit Malhotra’s Mumbai home, are genuinely mind blowing. The 3D depth and wide-frame treatment look immersive and captivating. The thunderous soundscape adds the requisite depth to this epic. Everything feels big, better and majestic. And at the heart of this epic feeling is Ranbir Kapoor’s first glimpses as Lord Rama. As the actor, dressed up in regal kingly attire, walks in to the frame of the film, the radiance on his face shines brighter than Malhotra’s and Tiwari’s 1000s of crores worth production finesse. It looks like Ranbir was tailor made to fit into this role. Atleast, his first visage does that.
A person close to the project revealed at the screening, Ranbir has moulded not just body and mind, but his very soul to embody this performance of Lord Rama. He’s been very conscious of the fact that Indians adore and worship Lord Rama and that he’s going to have to live up to great expectations. He has changed his mindset, his habits and his persona to become this character and it shows on the big screen. The slow panning camera frames allow the performance to shine through. And if this first glimpse of Ranbir’s Rama is the trailer of what’s to come, then the prospect of watching Sai Pallavi’s Sita and Yash’s Ravana is going to be a blitzkrieg of excitement.
What the Ramayana first glimpse asset reveals is impressive, but what it conceals is even more exciting. We get glimpses of Sai Pallavi, Yash and Ravie Dubey (playing the role of Laxman) and their silhouetted glimpses look spectacular. What also adds to the expectations of this project is the fact that director Nitesh Tiwari has had a promising track record with films like Dangal and Chhichhore. He took years to craft Dangal along with Aamir Khan and it yielded fantastic results. So the fact that he’s been quietly collaborating with Ranbir, Malhotra, Sai, Yash and others on Ramayana is in itself an exciting proposition.
The same assets will be screened for a wider section of the media, fans and social media influencers today at a Mumbai event. The same has been done in the US, where Malhotra, Tiwari and Kapoor hosted similar screenings in New York and Los Angeles. Yesterday’s Mumbai screening also had a wide section of media flown in from Hyderabad. The feedback from various corners seemed to be in sync. This version of Ramayana has the potential to be another timeless epic.
Ramayana is slated to release in two parts. Part 1 is scheduled for a Diwali 2026 release while Part 2 is being prepped for a Diwali 2027 release.
Also Read: Namit Malhotra Announces Big Update For Ramayana: Ranbir Kapoor’s Rama Glimpse To Release On April 2
