Mumbai: The first glimpse of the upcoming Ranbir Kapoor and Yash-starrer epic Ramayana was unveiled Thursday. The first look promises the magnum opus of epic proportions. The run-time of the asset is heavily dominated by CGI, done extremely tastefully by Prime Focus and Academy Award-winning DNEG, the latter scoring the Oscar for Best VFX for Dune.
The film features a galaxy of stars with Ranbir in the role of Lord Ram, and Yash essaying Lankesh, Raavan, and actress Sai Pallavi playing Goddess Sita. Sunny Deol portrays Lord Hanuman, and Ravie Dubey essays Laxman.
It gets bigger as, for the first time in history, two music titans, Hans Zimmer and A. R. Rahman, both boasting Academy Awards, are joining forces for the film.
The launch of the asset spanned the globe, with fan screenings across nine Indian cities and a spectacular billboard takeover at Times Square, New York.
The story is set 5,000 years ago and is revered by 2.5 billion people around the world. Helmed by the National Award-winning filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra and co-produced by Yash, Ramayana brings together a formidable army of Oscar-winning technicians, Hollywood’s finest creators, and India’s biggest names in acting and storytelling — reimagining one of civilization’s most powerful epics as a cutting-edge cinematic universe, rooted in Indian culture and created for the world.
Namit Malhotra, founder of Prime Focus, and CEO of DNEG, shared, “This is a cultural movement for every Indian around the world. With Ramayana, we’re not just retelling history; we’re introducing our legacy to the world. Bringing together the finest global talent allows us to tell this story with authenticity, emotion, and state-of-the-art cinematic innovation. We’ve seen Ramayana portrayed before — but this version reimagines its landscapes, creatures, and battles with the scale and splendour they deserve. As Indians, this is our truth. Now, it will be our gift to the world”.
‘Ramayana’ is a two-part live-action cinematic universe being reimagined on the scale of the biggest tentpoles produced to date. The film unites some of Hollywood and India’s celebrated talent in a partnership like never seen before.
Nitesh Tiwari said, “‘Ramayana’ is a story we’ve all grown up with. It carries the soul of our culture. Our aim was to honour that soul — and present it with the cinematic scale it truly deserves. As a filmmaker, it’s both a huge responsibility and a heartfelt honour to bring it to life. . It’s a tale that has endured across millennia because it speaks to something deep and eternal within us. We are not simply making a film. We are offering a vision — one rooted in reverence, shaped by excellence, and made to transcend borders”.
The film also features Hollywood’s top stunt directors with Terry Notary (Avengers, Planet of the Apes) and Guy Norris (Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa), choreographing the epic battles between gods and demons. The visual grandeur of ancient India is being reimagined by renowned production designers Ravi Bansal (Dune 2, Aladdin, etc) and Ramsey Avery (Captain America, Tomorrowland).
‘Ramayana’ is being filmed for IMAX and will be released worldwide with Part 1 releasing in Diwali 2026 and Part 2 in Diwali 2027.
