Indian cinema is about to witness its most ambitious undertaking ever. Ramayana: Part 1, director Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part live-action adaptation of Valmiki’s ancient epic, arrives in theatres worldwide this Diwali — November 6, 2026. With Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana and a reported combined budget of ₹4,000 crore for both parts, this is positioned as India’s answer to Hollywood’s biggest spectacles. Here’s everything we know: release date, cast, story, budget, music and why the world is watching.
Ramayana Part 1 Release Date
Ramayana: Part 1 is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on November 6, 2026, coinciding with the Diwali festival. The makers announced the date with a new poster on Navratri, confirming “in cinemas worldwide, across all premium formats” — including IMAX 3D, Dolby Cinema and RealD 3D. (Note: the studio’s initial announcement mentioned November 5; trade listings now point to November 6 — the Diwali week.) Advance bookings are set to open on Dussehra.
The film will release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, with Sony Pictures handling international distribution across 45 territories. Ramayana: Part 2 is planned for Diwali 2027.
In a historic first, the film is set for a world premiere at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles, with 945 guests including Hollywood figures and international press — screened in 3D, with guests asked to wear traditional attire.
What Is Ramayana Part 1 About?
Based on Maharishi Valmiki’s Sanskrit epic, Part 1 chronicles the life and trials of Prince Rama of Ayodhya — his exile, Sita’s abduction by the demon king Ravana, and the events leading to the great war of Lanka. The screenplay, written by Shridhar Raghavan and Nitesh Tiwari, adapts the first half of the epic, setting up the climactic confrontation for Part 2.
The project was first announced in 2017 as a trilogy, restructured over years of development into a two-part series under Tiwari’s sole direction. Principal photography ran from April 2024 to July 2025 at Film City, Mumbai, using 12 acres of practical sets alongside extensive visual effects.
Ramayana Part 1 Cast
- Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama (also reported to play Parashurama and Vishnu)
- Sai Pallavi as Sita
- Yash as Ravana (his Hindi film debut; also co-producer)
- Sunny Deol as Hanuman
- Ravi Dubey as Lakshmana (film debut)
- Amitabh Bachchan as Jatayu
- Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi
- Rakul Preet Singh as Shurpanakha
- Kajal Aggarwal as Mandodari
- Arun Govil as Dasharatha
- Mohit Raina as Lord Shiva
- Raghav Juyal as Indrajit, Vivek Oberoi, Kunal Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Indira Krishnan
The ₹4,000 Crore Budget and Global Craft
Yash himself confirmed the ₹4,000 crore combined budget for both parts (roughly $500 million) — making it the most expensive Indian film ever mounted. He explained the figure covers production plus the massive global marketing and distribution push, following Hollywood’s financial playbook for event films.
The craft is world-class: Hans Zimmer (in his full-fledged Indian cinema debut) and A. R. Rahman jointly composed the score, recorded with the Chamber Orchestra of London. Visual effects are led by DNEG — the eight-time Oscar-winning studio behind Dune and Interstellar — working from London, Montreal and Mumbai.
Why Ramayana Part 1 Matters
- 1. Scale never seen in Indian cinema. ₹4,000 crore, DNEG, Zimmer — this is a genuine global play.
- 2. The cast is a phenomenon. Ranbir, Yash, Sai Pallavi, Sunny Deol — pan-India star power.
- 3. Diwali box office history. It clashes with Nayanthara’s Mookuthi Amman 2 on the same day — a true festival showdown.
- 4. India’s soft power moment. As Yash put it, the film aims to prove “the strength of the Indian film industry to the global market.”
Fans of epic-scale cinema on MovieVerse can also explore The Odyssey (2026) in Hindi dubbed, the mythological drama Mata (2026), or the intense Ananthan Kaadu (2026).
Box Office Expectations: Can Ramayana Break Records?
Trade analysts are forecasting a historic opening. Early estimates suggest Ramayana: Part 1 could target a ₹165 crore day-one collection in India alone, with lifetime projections touching an astronomical ₹2,500 crore worldwide if word-of-mouth lands. The Diwali window, the five-language release, and the IMAX premium pricing all work in its favor.
The film also aims to break the long-standing record for the biggest Diwali opener — a crown that has seen many contenders but few winners. With 59,000 screens worldwide on day one (as claimed by the film’s promotional materials), the sheer scale of the release is unprecedented for Indian cinema. Whether it reaches these celestial numbers depends on one thing: the content. As Yash himself said, audiences should give the film “a fair chance instead of dismissing it before its release.”
Trailer, Music and the Academy Premiere
The international trailer rolled out by Sony Pictures gave global audiences their first sweeping look at Tiwari’s vision — grand battle sequences, divine iconography, and Zimmer’s thunderous score underneath. The film’s music strategy is equally ambitious: with Zimmer handling the background score and Rahman composing the songs, the soundtrack is being positioned as a standalone cultural event.
The Academy Museum world premiere — with 945 guests in traditional attire — is a masterstroke of positioning. It’s the first time an Indian film has premiered at the Academy’s own museum, signaling that the makers aren’t just chasing box office; they’re chasing legitimacy on the world stage.
How to Watch Ramayana Part 1
- Film: Ramayana: Part 1 (2026)
- Release date: November 6, 2026 (Diwali)
- Languages: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam
- Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash, Sunny Deol
- Director: Nitesh Tiwari
- Music: Hans Zimmer & A. R. Rahman
- Genre: Epic mythological drama
Book tickets when advance sales open on Dussehra. For more big-release updates and box office news, keep following MovieVerse.watch.
