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| Ramayana: Part 1 | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Nitesh Tiwari |
| Screenplay by | Shridhar Raghavan |
| Based on | Ramayana by sage Valmiki |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | |
| Music by | |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | est.₹835 crore [2] [3] |
Ramayana: Part 1 is an upcoming Indian epic mythological adventure drama film adapted from the Sanskrit epic Ramayana written by sage Valmiki. Produced by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios & Yash's Monster Mind Creations, the film serves as the first installment of a planned duology. [4] [5] Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and based on a screenplay developed by Shridhar Raghavan, the film features an ensemble cast which includes Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash, Amitabh Bachchan, Sunny Deol, Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, Ravi Dubey, Rakul Preet Singh, Kunal Kapoor, Sheeba Chaddha, Indira Krishnan, Shobana and others. [6] [7] Made on a budget of ₹835 crore ($96 million), it is set to be the most expensive Indian film to date. [8]
In May 2017, producers Allu Aravind, Namit Malhotra, and Madhu Mantena announced their collaboration to adapt the epic Ramayana into a live-action feature film trilogy, with reports suggesting that the development of the script had been underway for nearly a year. The project was conceived as a trilingual production in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil languages, & was set to be shot in 3D. [26] Allu Aravind described the project as a "huge responsibility" and emphasized the need to bring Ramayana to the big screen in the "most magnificent way possible". Namit Malhotra, whose company Prime Focus had contributed visual effects to high-profile Hollywood films like Star Wars, Transformers , X-Men: Apocalypse and The Martian, saw Ramayana as an opportunity to push the boundaries of Indian cinema. As the last widely recognized adaptations of the epic had been television series many years ago—most notably Ramayan (1987–88) by Ramanand Sagar, starring Arun Govil and Deepika Chikhlia as Rama and Sita respectively—the filmmakers aspired to bring the Ramayana to the big screen as a cinematic spectacle, reimagined for a newer generation. [27] [28]
In February 2018, Madhu Mantena signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Uttar Pradesh government's cinema arm Film Bandhu at the UP Investors Summit 2018 to support the production Ramayana in Uttar Pradesh. Speaking at the event, Mantena said he was inspired to make the film series by the life and work of Anant Pai of Amar Chitra Katha. He added the project was an effort to retell Indian mythology to all generations in "all its audio visual glory with the help of the latest technology and visual effects". [29]
In July 2019, Madhu Mantena brought Dangal director Nitesh Tiwari and Mom director Ravi Udyawar on board to direct the trilogy, & Shridhar Raghavan was hired to write the screenplay. [30] Nitesh, in an interview with Rajeev Masand, cited advancements in VFX since the 1987-88 television series as a key reason for taking on the project, noting that, "our oldest, or the earliest memories (of the epic), are still 30 years old. We really haven't seen Ramayana in the form it deserves to be told". He added that although he joined a little later than Ravi, when he saw the world for Ramayana that Ravi had been creating, that world "kind of knew" him. He said that he found equally passionate collaborators in his producers who were "willing to go all the way" for him to tell the story of Ramayana , which held "such fantastic belief in our culture". [31] He found the epic's allure in its tableau of characters, with his greatest takeaway from Ramayana being the figure of Rama, who was "an ideal leader, husband, father and son". Affirming that whatever was said and shown in the films had the stamp of authenticity, he stated that, beyond Rama and Ravana, every character—be it Sita, Lakshmana, or Hanuman—had "something to convey", making it essential to adapt the Ramayana into a trilogy. Ravi shared that he had heard these stories from his elders and passed them on to his children, adding that, "everybody knows the story of Ram, Sita and Ravana, it's the story-telling that will make our trilogy memorable and I'm putting everything I have learnt into it to make it fun and engaging while staying true to the original (essence)". For him, the epic's magic lay in its shape-shifting monsters, which according to him was something "even a toddler" would enjoy. He added that when he told his son what they were doing, "he was jumping around all day wondering what Raavan and Kumbhakarna would look like", adding further, that for him, "the biggest thrill was when my son told me that Hanuman is cooler than Superman". Citing that neither money nor time posed any constraints, Tiwari remarked that they were "flying visually" as their producers had told them to be "fearless and fly". Ravi added, "there are many sci-fi films but only one Star Wars. We have access to the best technology and talent so what better time to let the world see what our country has to offer". He noted that many of the technicians working at Prime Focus on A-list Hollywood films were "excited to leap into the epical world". To serve as references for the setting, costume, cast and action for the films, intricate paintings had been commissioned by the team from artists from all across India. The project was supposed to feature actors from Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, and Punjabi cinema, with the aim of targeting both a pan-Indian and global audience. [32] The film series was reported to be made on an estimated budget of 500 crores & the team hoped to start production by 2020, with a target release for Part 1 in 2021, promising that there won't be too long a gap between two installments. [33] [34]
In October 2019, Nitesh emphasized that the team was handling the subject with utmost responsibility due to the strong sentiments attached to the epic. He assured that there would be no distortions in his treatment of the sacrosanct epic, stating that he and his team were being assisted by a lot of scholars and pandits in the writing process to ensure that whatever they were doing was "just the right" and was widely accepted. [35] On 3 March 2020, at a special screening of his wife's short film, Nitesh discussed the challenges of adapting Ramayana for the big screen. Emphasizing the need "to strike a balance", he explained that the adaptation would take time as his team wanted to present the story in a manner so that the younger audiences, such as his children, who were "fans of Avengers", would find it exciting, while simultaneously retaining the faith of the older audiences, like his mother-in-law, so that she should find it engaging enough "at a level where she would be like I have not seen Ramayana in this form". [36] He described the film as technologically "prep heavy", as the magical qualities of Ramayana, like the talking animals or the enchanted forests mentioned in the epic, allowed them to "have the potential to present beautifully on screen a world that you have not seen before", acknowledging that although the process was tough, yet it was gratifying, since they had the right technology to do it. He also stated their goal was to make Ramayana entertaining without being preachy, although cautiously remarking that when he said entertain, he didn't mean to "make people chuckle or laugh because that kind of stuff is not there in Ramayana. But the execution is also entertaining. The ultimate aim is to keep them glued to their seats". [37] As the COVID-19 pandemic led to a nationwide lockdown in India, Tiwari continued working on the film series' script over group calls with team members across the country. He stated that the team was "working on the prep," but the production was still far off, explaining that it was difficult to establish a timeline for Ramayana in the "current scenario". [38]
In June 2021, Madhu shared that he and his team were approaching Ramayana not as a project but as "a purpose, a purpose to tell Ramayana in all it's glory to the world". He emphasized that the immense responsibility associated with the trilogy required them to give attention to the "minute details of everything", and he shared that they were following the same process that James Cameron used for Avatar. Committed to making the trilogy "as well as anything else in the world," he revealed that over 200 artists from across the globe had been working on the film for two years, including a few Academy Award winners. [39]
In July 2021, Madhu said that he was going to announce the ensemble cast by Diwali that year, promising "the biggest cast ever in the history of Indian cinema", boasting of actors who would be the best in class in terms of performances. Hailing the characters of Ravana, Ram, Sita, Laxman as larger than life, he asserted that he would be casting artists from across the country. Explaining the reason for this decision, he elaborated that "it (Ramayana) is not about North and South, it's about unifying the country. We are doing this as India".
The film's principal photography commenced in April 2024. [40] On April 5, pictures from the sets of the movie got leaked, featuring pictures of Arun Govil, Lara Dutta and Sheeba Chaddha in their respective roles and a picture of Nitesh Tiwari directing the film. [41] [42] Following this, the makers imposed a strict no-phone policy on the movie sets. [43] The makers have invested heavily in visual effects and set design to bring the epic tale to life. The majority of the budget will be used for the CGI and post-production of the film. The film will reportedly be in post-production for 600 days. Filming for part 2 began on 19 January 2025. [44]
The film's soundtrack is composed by A. R. Rahman alongside Hans Zimmer. It marks Zimmer's debut as an original score composer in Indian cinema. [45]
The film is slated for a theatrical release on Diwali in 2026, with the second part planned for release on Diwali in 2027. [46]