Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana has drawn praise for its visual grandeur but faced a barrage of criticism over its lengthy runtime, crowded narrative and execution. One reviewer has branded the Ranbir Kapoor and Yash-starrer an “overproduced B-movie”.
According to Hindustan Times, five international reviews appeared after the film’s Los Angeles premiere, following the lifting of its review embargo on Friday night. Two were wholeheartedly positive. NYC Movie Guru praised its visuals but called it “bloated” and “emotionally hollow”, while describing it as an “overproduced B-movie”.
Screen Rant awarded it 7/10, IndieWire gave it a ‘B’, and Next Best Picture rated it 5/10, suggesting the story needed a Game of Thrones-style series. IGN’s Siddhant Adlakha gave it just 4/10, citing clunky action, poor CGI and awkward AI lip-syncing.
The English cut is almost 30 minutes shorter than the Indian version, yet runs two-and-a-half hours. Indian critics have not seen it yet.
Produced by Prime Focus Studios with DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, the two-part epic stars Ranbir as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. Part One releases worldwide on 5 November; Part Two follows during Diwali 2027. Both films will release in five Indian languages.
US paid previews begin on 4 November; Indian previews remain unannounced. Sony Pictures handles global distribution outside India, Dharma Productions the Hindi-speaking market, with a worldwide IMAX release planned.
