Over the last year and a half, Ramayana has been the most talked-about Indian film project.
The film, an adaptation of the Indian epic Ramayana, has been in the works for a long time, and it’s recently been announced that the makers plan to spend around US$100 million ($135 million) to shoot the film’s “part one”, making it the costliest Indian film venture ever.
“Ramayana is not just a film but an emotion, and the makers are leaving no stone unturned to make it a global spectacle,” a source told Bollywood Hungama.
“(Producer) Namit Malhotra plans to expand this further as the franchise grows. The idea is to take the audience on a visual treat with Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram,” the source added.
Ranbir Kapoor’s 2022 release Brahmastra was made on a budget of Rs450 crore ($98.5 million), which makes it the costliest Hindi film to date.
The costliest movies made in India are 2.0 (2018): Rs570 crore; RRR (2022): Rs550 crore; Adipurush (2023): Rs500 crore; The Good Maharaja (2022): Rs400 crore; Saaho (2019): Rs350 crore; Radhe Shyam (2022): Rs325 crore; and Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1 (2022): Rs300 crore.
“In rupee terms, the budget of Ramayana is close to Rs835 crore,” the source said.
“The film requires 600 days of post-production work, which in itself speaks volumes about the investment required to create some of the most original visuals on the spectacle. The idea is to take Indian Cinema to a global level.”
The Nitesh Tiwari-directorial also features KGF star Yash as Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Sheeba Chaddha as Manthara.
Filming has reportedly started with a few photos of Ranbir with his archery instructor being shared on social media by his fans.
Recently, actor Ajinkya Deo joined the team of Ramayana and shared a selfie with Ranbir, reported the Hindustan Times.
In a post on Instagram, Ajinkya confirmed that he will be playing a sizeable role in the trilogy.
It was later reported that he’s slated to portray the character of sage Vishwamitra, who served as Lord Ram’s mentor.
Film trade analyst Sumit Kadel said on X that Ramayana will likely be released in October 2027.
