Also Known As: Ramayana: Part 1 & Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana: Our Truth. Our History.

TL;DR – A grand epic in every way.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Ramayana Review Introduction

Today we are looking at a very interesting film. It is the cinematic representation of one of India’s and Hinduism’s epic Sanskrit poems, one of those foundational literary works that impacts the world thousands of years later. It is also the biggest wide release of an Indian Film that I have seen near me since RRR. So, time to sit in the comfy Gold Class chairs, order some food, and get ready for the almost four-hour runtime.

So, to set the scene, throughout the eons, the Asuras and the Devas have been waging war after war to claim the three kingdoms. In one battle, the Devas almost overcome the Asuras, when at the last second Indra (Kunal Kapoor), blessed by Vishnu, flies in on his elephant and seizes triumph from the claws of defeat for the Asuras. The Devas are forced to live in poverty, and Ravana (Yash/Sharad Kelkar) is urged to put down his instrument and avenge his people. Oh, he does, and Ravana endured a dangerous quest to make a bargain with Brahma that grants him almost immortality. The only thing that can harm him is a human, which means that if Vishnu wants to come as an avatar, then he needs to inhabit a flawed, fragile human body, which is right when the Prince Rama (Ranbir Kapoor) is born.

A True Epic

Now, I want to be clear from the start that I am not an expert on Indian and Hindu mythology and religious history. So, this review will not be exploring how good an adaptation this is of the original works. However, what I can tell you is that from my experience, this is an epic in every sense of the word. It is big and bold, blasting you with sets, costumes, music, characters, and battle scenes. It is also an epic in the story that it is telling. However, it is a story that will make you work for it a bit. There are a lot of characters and exposition that you need to get through at the start to be able to understand the narrative. This is no different from the opening narration in The Lord of the Rings, but if you don’t pay attention, the rest of the film is going to be a struggle.

A Spectacle

When I was walking into the cinema, there was a stand advertising that this film was from the special effects artists from Dune and The Odyssey, which I thought was an odd pull, until you see the film. This is one of the most visually impressive films I have seen all year. It puts the work into making everything almost seamless in its construction. There are one or two odd shots, but in a four-hour film, that is impressive. Add to this, we have fully CGI characters that are industry-leading, action scenes that don’t hold back, and worldbuilding that helps blend the physical sets and props with the digital extensions in a way that sucks you into the world. All the music lands as it blasts out, and I can tell you that I was just as shocked as the next one to see Hans Zimmer in the credits. I will say that I did see AI departments in the credits, but they look like AI was just used to change the lip synchronisation in different dubs, and I think I am okay with it being used in that way. If there were one performance element that didn’t entirely work for me, it was Ranbir Kapoor’s approach to Rama. The stoicism suited the character’s mythic stature, but I occasionally wanted a little more emotional texture beneath the surface. But the rest of the cast makes up for that.

A Narrative

I have mentioned that this is an almost four-hour film, and that is because it feels as if we have a prequel film and a Part 1 smashed together. Much of the first half before the intermission is all about the rise of Ravana and the world that led to him being a leader. I am not sure if this was the plan, but the Devas do come off as very sympathetic. Followed by Rama finding out who he is as a person. The second half is the build-up to the inciting event that we will explore next time. This does mean that the second half of the film is the stronger part, though that might be because this is where we get Sita (Sai Pallavi/Ami Trivedi), who is my favourite character of the film. Even though this is a long film, it does oscillate from events blasting through at a breakneck speed and then grinding to a halt. The pacing does not always work in Ramayana’s favour. Also, while I am not sure this is Wicked Part 2 bad, it does feel as if all the ‘big’ moments will be in the next outing.

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend Ramayana? Yes, with some reservations. This is a long film, even with the intermission to get up and walk around. You may want to wait until it is on digital so that you can watch it in sessions. It also might feel a touch incomplete, given where it finishes off. But if I think of epic films of 2026, this has to be high on the list.

Have you watched Ramayana? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked Ramayana, we would recommend The Odyssey to you because when I think about the scope and impact of Ramayana, only The Odyssey gets close.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Ramayana
Directed by – Nitesh Tiwari
Screenplay by – Shridhar Raghavan & Nitesh Tiwari
Written by – Shreyas Jain & Nitesh Tiwari
Based on – Ramayana by Valmiki
Music by – Hans Zimmer & A. R. Rahman
Cinematography by – Pankaj Kumar & Mahesh Limaye
Edited by – Huzefa Lokhandwala
Production/Distribution Companies – Prime Focus Studios, Monster Mind Creations, DNEG, & Sony Pictures
Starring – Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Sharad Kelkar, Sai Pallavi, Ami Trivedi, Ravi Dubey, Arun Govil, Anupam Kher, Lara Dutta, Shobana, Indira Krishnan, Sonal Jha, Rajiv Kumar, Adinath Kothare, Nitish Sharma, Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, Dishita Sehgal, Vivek Oberoi, Harish Uthaman, Kunal Kapoor, Suhail Nayyar, Sheeba Chaddha, Shishir Sharma, Ajinkya Deo, Mukesh Tiwari, Sonia Balani, Riya Kapoor, Surabhi Das, Faisal Malik, Parminder Chhada, Saurabh Sachdeva, Kanchan Chetal, Chetan Hansraj & Geeta Agarwal Sharma
With – Sunny Deol & Raghav Juyal
And – Raghav Malhotra, Rhyah Narasimhan, Kiara Sadh, Samar Birje, Vidhaan Sharma, Hridansh, Divisha Manchhani, Hazel Shah, Purvi Mishra, & Hridyansh Gokani
Rating – Australia: M; Canada: PG; Germany: 12; India: U; New Zealand: M; United Kingdom: 12A; United States: PG-13