Nitesh Tiwari’s ambitious adaptation of the Indian epic ‘Ramayana’ has opened in cinemas worldwide, drawing enthusiastic responses for its visual scale and performances, although some viewers have raised concerns about its pacing, music and emotional depth, writes Times of India.
Released on 5 November, ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’ stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. Ravie Dubey plays Lakshman, while Sunny Deol appears as Hanuman.
Early audience reactions, reported by The Times of India, have particularly highlighted Yash’s portrayal of Ravana.
Several viewers described the actor as a scene-stealer, praising his screen presence and the impact of his sequences. Ranbir’s restrained performance as Rama and Dubey’s portrayal of Lakshman have also received positive comments.
The film’s visual effects, production design and large-scale action sequences have emerged as major talking points.
Viewers have praised the work of visual effects studio DNEG, while some have recommended watching the film on large screens to appreciate its 3D presentation.
However, the initial response has not been entirely favourable. Some viewers felt the lengthy narrative needed tighter editing and stronger emotional development.
The music, despite contributions from AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer, has also drawn criticism. Reactions to Ranbir and Sai Pallavi’s emotional scenes have been divided.
The film’s opening-day performance has also attracted attention. According to the live updates, ‘Ramayana’ had collected Rs17.10 crore net in India by 1.05 pm on Thursday, across 9,249 shows in five languages.
The Hindi version led with Rs12.55 crore, followed by Kannada at Rs2.18 crore and Telugu at Rs1.53 crore. These were early figures, with final collections expected later in the day.
The film entered theatres after strong advance sales. The Times of India reported that its opening-day advance bookings in India had crossed Rs50 crore gross, including block seats, while overseas pre-sales added to its worldwide total.
Several members of the film industry have also congratulated the team. Karan Johar praised Ranbir’s portrayal of Rama, describing it as a defining performance, while filmmaker Prashanth Neel commended Yash’s screen presence.
Actors Allu Arjun and Rishab Shetty also shared messages of support, highlighting the film’s cultural significance and its ambition to take Indian stories to a global audience.
Directed by Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra, ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’ is the first instalment of a planned two-part adaptation.
The combined budget of the films has been reported at Rs4,000 crore, with the first part accounting for an estimated Rs2,000 crore.
The second instalment, initially expected in 2027, has been postponed to Diwali 2028. The makers have also left open the possibility of expanding the project beyond two films, depending on audience response.
