Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana is unbelievable, if the three-minute glimpse is any indication! The scale, the grandeur, the visual effects, the computer graphics… they are all marvellous. It requires courage to even imagine a film of this canvas. And it requires a crazily dedicated team to turn this imagination into reality.
One is not even talking about the cost of the film here because when passion takes over — as it seems to have in this case because such rare masterpieces can only be made by a man possessed — nothing else matters. As Namit Malhotra, who has won seven Oscars in 10 years — an unparalleled record — for the visual effects and animation work done by his animation and visual effects company, DNEG, says, “I am not really bothered about what the final cost will turn out to be. It hardly matters.”
That’s what the maverick producer says. What we can say is that Ramayana will matter. And it will matter in India just as it will, in the entire world! Simply because it tells a humane story in such a fantastical manner that it has the potential to write box-office history — not just in India but in the world. All these years, we’ve been hearing our audience say, “The visual effects in Bollywood films cannot match those in Hollywood films.” Seems a paradox in terms because an Indian visual effects company has picked up a record number of Oscars!
Well, if the paradoxical comment is not wrong, it is because for visual effects to mesmerise, it is not just the end result that matters. That India can execute — and execute remarkably well — has been proven at least seven times in the last decade, but what will be proven with this epic story is that India can also imagine like no other country can! Don’t be surprised if, after the release of Ramayana on Diwali 2026, the world starts to treat this film as the benchmark. And the world includes Hollywood! Pompous prediction this, you are apt to say. But only till you watch the three-minute trailer.
The BTS (behind the scenes) footage which one saw along with the glimpse gave an indication of the kind of work director Nitesh Tiwari’s tireless team is doing to bring alive India’s epic story on the big screen in 3D — that too, in two parts. While the first part of Ramayan will release on the festival of lights next year, the second part will hit the screens on Diwali 2027.
Get ready because Namit Malhotra, Nitesh Tiwari, Ranbir Kapoor (Ram), Sai Pallavi (Sita), Yash (Ravana), Sunny Deol (Hanuman), Ravie Dubey (Laxman) and the rest of the huge cast and formidable crew are all set to not just give cinema lovers a visual treat but also take the worldwide audience on an unprecedented emotional and religious journey!