Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana: Rise of a Legend opens in theaters worldwide outside India on November 6, distributed by Sony Pictures. The domestic release follows two days later through Dharma Distribution, timed to Diwali. The film is the first of a planned two-part adaptation of the ancient Hindu epic.
Tiwari, whose credits include Dangal and Chhichhore, spent more than a decade in pre-production on the project. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana, with screenplay by Shridhar Raghavan. Music is shared between Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman. Visual effects are handled by DNEG, the eight-time Oscar-winning house known for Dune and Interstellar.
Ramayana is the first Indian production to receive the "Filmed for IMAX" label, according to The Wrap. A trailer premiered at San Diego Comic-Con in July. Part 2 is set for Diwali 2027.
Producer Namit Malhotra of Prime Focus Studios called the project a "noble quest" pursued for more than a decade, with the goal of creating "the most authentic, sacred, and visually stunning adaptation" of the story. The Diwali release window carries specific cultural resonance: the holiday commemorates Rama's return to Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile and his victory over the demon king Ravana.
The film opens the same weekend as Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine from Searchlight and Warner Bros.' animated The Cat in the Hat, but its primary audience is the Indian diaspora that turned RRR and Kalki 2898 A.D. into international specialty successes.
