Ramayana: The Rise of a Legend Opens Worldwide Amid Deepavali Celebrations
I know the story. Nothing is new. But it still moved me,
60-year-old viewer Ramamani said after watching the new Bollywood film in a Bengaluru multiplex cinema. Starring Ranbir Kapoor as warrior prince Rama, Sai Pallavi as his wife Sita, and Yash as antagonist Ravana, Ramayana: The Rise Of A Legend was released worldwide on Nov. 5 and Nov. 6, just ahead of the Deepavali festival. The high-budget production retells the ancient Sanskrit epic composed between 750 and 500 BCE by the sage Valmiki.
Production Scale and Visual Effects Backed by a US$500 Million Budget
Carrying a US$500 million budget, the film ranks as India’s most expensive motion picture to date. The production rolled out across 50,000 screens spanning roughly 100 countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, Australia, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States. While Indian screenings feature a 3-hour and 15-minute runtime, the global release runs 2 hours and 45 minutes with English dubbing powered by AI-based lip-sync technology. Soundtracks hail from Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman, while visual effects were handled by Indian producer Namit Malhotra’s DNEG company, known for work on Dune, Inception, and the Harry Potter series.
Software engineer Adishesh BS, 31, noted in the Bengaluru cinema hall that the movie felt like divine immersion,
though he pointed out that certain digitally rendered giants fell short of Hollywood benchmarks set by productions like Game Of Thrones. The filmmakers marketed the opening instalment of the planned trilogy as India’s answer to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and James Cameron’s Avatar.
Historical Adaptations and Modern Political Tensions Surrounding The Epic
The epic has inspired centuries of diverse regional interpretations across Asia, ranging from shadow puppetry in Andhra Pradesh to Kambar’s 12th-century Tamil translation depicting Ravana as a sophisticated Vedic pundit and Shiva devotee. Tulsidas’ 16th-century Awadhi adaptation, Ramcharitmanas, inspired Ramanand Sagar’s legendary 1987 television series broadcast by state-owned Doordarshan. Academic critiques from writers like Volga and scholars such as Arshia Sattar highlight feminist and anti-caste retellings that challenge traditional power dynamics within the narrative.
Political dimensions have increasingly shadowed the text in contemporary India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party aligns closely with Lord Rama, marked by Modi’s 2024 inauguration of a temple in Ayodhya on the site of a mosque demolished by Hindu fundamentalists in 1992. A Hindu right-wing student body said A.K. Ramanujan’s 1987 book 300 Ramayanas made offensive claims, and it was removed from Delhi University syllabi in 2011.
I have spent my life with the Ramayana. I love the text. But it has, of late, become hard for anyone to admit this because it seems to signal an allegiance with the Hindu right wing,
Sattar said.
Nitesh Tiwari Adopts a Cautious Narrative Approach
Nitesh Tiwari chose a straightforward retelling of the source material across a divided cultural environment, avoiding contentious contemporary politics. The production incorporates minor combat skills for Sita while reserving major creative flourishes for Ravana, steering clear of deeper human dilemmas present in historical texts. School teacher Uttara Sriram, 35, welcomed the conservative approach, stating she wanted a beautiful story with no political agenda.
The film opens with a disclaimer noting that The Ramayana has no one teller.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Global Release
How long is the international version of Ramayana: The Rise of a Legend?
The global release runs for 2 hours and 45 minutes, contrasting with the 3-hour and 15-minute cut screened in India.
Which countries received theatrical screenings of the film?
The movie debuted across 50,000 screens in about 100 countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, Australia, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Who composed the music for the trilogy’s first installment?
The film features musical scores composed by Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman.