Arrows and Ambition: Inside Ramayana: Part 1, a Mythic Gamble

For well over two thousand years, the story of a banished prince, a kidnapped queen and a ten-headed king has been recited, sung, painted and staged across South and South-East Asia. Now it has a new home on the biggest screens available. Ramayana: Part 1, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, opened in cinemas this week, just ahead of Diwali, the festival of lights, which falls on 8 November this year. In some markets it is billed as Ramayana: Rise of a Legend.

An Old Story in a New Format

The Ramayana is traditionally credited to the sage Valmiki. Its outline is familiar to hundreds of millions of people. Rama, heir to the throne of Ayodhya, is sent into forest exile. His wife Sita is abducted by Ravana, the king of Lanka. Rama then gathers allies, including the devoted Hanuman, and wages a war to bring her home.

Tiwari's version is planned as two films. According to listings, the first instalment sets up Rama's transformation from prince to warrior. It also introduces the larger struggle between dharma, or righteous order, and its opposite. The second part is due on Diwali 2027 and is meant to complete the saga. If you are new to the epic, expect a film that ends on a chapter break rather than a final resolution.

Who Plays Whom

The ensemble is large, and several roles come from very different corners of Indian cinema.

Arun Govil's casting is a nod to television history. Many viewers associate him with the title role in a hugely popular Indian television adaptation of the epic, and here he plays Rama's father.

A Double Role

Kapoor has said he will also play Parshurama, another avatar of the god Vishnu who appears in tradition before Rama. He has described spending a year studying these figures, and what they stand for, before filming began. Tiwari has said he could think of nobody better to carry the weight of a billion people's expectations.

Yash on Both Sides of the Camera

Yash, the Kannada-cinema star who became a national name through the K.G.F films, plays Ravana. He is also one of the film's producers. Reports from the set suggested his costumes for the role were made with real gold, and that large war sequences were staged in and around Mumbai.

The People Behind the Epic

Tiwari is best known for Dangal and Chhichhore, two films built on human drama rather than spectacle. He co-wrote the screenplay with Shridhar Raghavan. The film is produced by Namit Malhotra, whose company's visual-effects work has featured in major Hollywood productions. Malhotra has described the aim as an authentic and visually striking adaptation of the story for audiences worldwide.

The music is a pairing that few would have predicted: A.R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer. The running time is listed at around three hours and fifteen minutes, so this is a long sitting.

Release and First Reactions

Promotion began in earnest in April 2026, when a teaser built around Rama's look was released on Hanuman Jayanti. A full trailer followed in July at San Diego Comic-Con. It showed Ravana claiming dominion over three realms and Rama vowing to defeat him.

Responses to the early footage were divided. Some viewers praised the scale and the performances. Others felt the visual effects did not look Indian enough for such a large budget. After release, India TV, citing industry tracker Sacnilk, reported a net opening-day collection in India of about Rs 64.85 crore. Of that, the Hindi version accounted for the largest share, ahead of the Kannada and Telugu versions. Such early figures are estimates and tend to be revised.

Critical opinion is still forming. One listing puts the average of a small first batch of reviews at 3.8 out of 5, and some early write-ups single out Kapoor's restraint and Yash's presence. Treat that as a first impression, not a verdict.

Why It Matters

Screen versions of the Ramayana have a mixed record. Animated films, television serials and earlier big-budget attempts have all drawn both devotion and criticism. A story this beloved leaves little room for error, and every casting choice and costume is argued over in public.

That is part of what makes this release worth watching. It is an attempt to present a sacred text with modern effects and an international audience in mind, while keeping faith with viewers who have known the story since childhood. If you plan to see it, a little background on the main characters will help, especially if the epic is new to you. Whether it works as the first half of a larger whole will not be clear until Part 2 arrives next Diwali.