After nearly a decade of development, Ramayana: Rise of a Legend has arrived and is all set to introduce to world to the legendary tale of Lord Rama and his epic battle with the demon king Ravana.
Ahead of the film's long-awaited release, we recently caught up with director Nitesh Tiwari and producer/screenwriter Namit Malhotra to talk about bringing the epic story to life, realizing the fantastical worlds on an unprecedented global scale, the differences between the English and Hindi versions of the film, and casting stars from across the country to play the film's three leads.
As per the film's official synopsis, "Based on the celebrated ancient epic known to billions, Namit Malhotra's Ramayana: Rise of a Legend tells the story of Rama, a prince bound by sacrifice; Ravana, an immortal king driven by vengeance; and the prophecy that binds their fates together. It stars Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi.
The film is produced by acclaimed filmmaker Namit Malhotra, whose Academy Award®-winning visual effects company DNEG is behind films including The Odyssey, Dune, Interstellar, and Inception; directed by Nitesh Tiwari, whose film Dangal remains the highest-grossing Indian film worldwide; and scored by Academy Award® winners Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman. Namit Malhotra's Ramayana: Rise of a Legend will be released globally in theaters on Diwali on November 5."
The film's ensemble cast features Ranbir Kapoor ("Lord Rama" / "Parashurama"), Yash ("Ravana"), Sai Pallavi ("Sita"), Sunny Deol ("Hanuman"), Ravi Dubey ("Lakshmana"), Arun Govil ("Dasharatha"), Lara Dutta ("Kaikeyi"), Indira Krishnan ("Kaushalya"), Sonal Jha ("Sumitra"), Rajiv Kumar ("Janaka"), Adinath Kothare ("Bharata"), Nitish Sharma ("Shatrughna"), Kajal Aggarwal ("Mandodari"), Rakul Preet Singh ("Shurpanakha"), Anupam Kher ("Jatayu"), Vivek Oberoi ("Vidyutjihva"), Harish Uthaman ("Vibhishana"), Kunal Kapoor ("Indra"), Suhail Nayyar ("Sugriva"), Sheeba Chaddha ("Manthara"), Shishir Sharma ("Vasishtha"), Ajinkya Deo ("Vishvamitra"), Mukesh Tiwari ("Agastya"), Sonia Balani ("Urmila"), Riya Kapoor ("Mandavi"), Surabhi Das ("Shrutakirti"), Shobana ("Kaikashi"), Raghav Juyal ("Meghanada"), Faisal Malik ("Kumbhakarna"), Parminder Chhada ("Subahu"), Saurabh Sachdeva ("Maricha"), Kanchan Chetal ("Tataka"), Chetan Hansraj ("Sumali"), Raghav Malhotra ("young Ravana"), Kiara Sadh ("young Sita"), and Rhyah Narasimhan ("young Sita"), and Dishita Sehgal ("young Shurpanakha")
Nitesh Tiwari directed the two-part cinematic epic, with Namit Malhotra penning the script for both chapters. The film is produced by Prime Focus Studios, in association with eight-time Academy Award®-winning production and visual effects studio DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations.
To further establish this project as a global endeavor, Academy Award-winners Hans Zimmer & A.R. Rahman have been enlisted to score the film, while the action has been choreographed by a pair of Hollywood’s leading stunt directors, Terry Notary and Guy Norris.
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend opens exclusively in theaters on November 5!
Watch our full interview below and/or keep scrolling to read the full transcription. Plus, remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more exclusive content!
ROHAN: Nitesh, you're well-known for deeply human, character-driven storytelling. How did you ensure that intimate emotional core—the sacrifice, devotion, and brotherhood—didn't get lost while building such a massive world?
NITESH: That's something you have to keep in mind when working on something as epic as Ramayana. As a storyteller, you need to understand that Ramayana is all about relationships and emotions. How do you ensure the grandeur and great visuals don't overshadow the emotions, but instead work in tandem with them, enhance them, and help tell the story in a way that’s never been done before? The moment you arrive at a decision like this, your shot-taking and technical choices become very easy. That helped us tell the story with emotions at the forefront, while everything else served as a supporting element.
ROHAN: Namit, you took on a massive undertaking bringing this film to life. How did you create distinct feels for worlds like Lanka, Kishkindha, and Ayodhya without straying into video game territory or something we've seen before?
NAMIT: Rohan, the beauty of Ramayana is that while Indians all over the world have grown up knowing it through TV shows, comic books, or school plays, we’ve never really seen what’s actually written in the original poem. When the opportunity came, my idea was to leverage what we’ve been doing at DNEG for the greatest filmmakers in the world—like Christopher Nolan or Denis Villeneuve—and do it for our own epic.
We brought together technology and creative teams to dream up these worlds based on Nitesh’s vision, curating them so everything jived together seamlessly. The benefit is that Ramayana is the original epic of the world; you don't need references from the West or anywhere else. We stayed true to what was written, translated those visuals to the screen, and brought in top-tier talent who were excited to create something that’s never been seen or done before. Ramayana was the perfect opportunity for that.
ROHAN: Nitesh, what do Ranbir, Yash, and Sai bring to these iconic roles of Ram, Sita, and Ravan?
NITESH: They are absolutely wonderful people, and I couldn't have asked for better actors. We needed people who not only look the part, but are as divine from within. Ranbir and Sai have internalized the values that Lord Ram and Sita Mata stand for. It reflects on their faces, in their performances, their sincerity, and especially their eyes. You can feel what Lord Ram and Sita Mata went through in those moments.
For Ravan, we needed someone who owns the screen the moment he walks in—someone with swagger and an undeniable aura. Although Yash is a very different person in real life, as an actor, he owns the screen. You simply can't take your eyes off him; he personifies Ravan in a magnificent way. They have delivered far beyond what I expected.
ROHAN: Thank you both so much for your time. Really amazing to see this story being released on such a global scale.
NAMIT: Rohan, I'll just add one detail: we created two master versions of this film. There is an Indian version for India, and a master version in English—written fresh as an English script, not just a translation—where the actors performed in English. It’s designed as a standalone master for global audiences discovering Ramayana for the first time. A lot of effort and investment went into creating these two distinct versions so both believers and first-time viewers can experience it authentically.
From visionary producer and filmmaker Namit Malhotra comes RAMAYANA: PART 1, a sweeping, two-part cinematic event inspired by one of the world’s most enduring epics.
Since the beginning of time, the Trinity Gods have ruled the three worlds: Brahma, the god who creates; Vishnu, the god who protects; and Shiva, the god who transforms. As the realms of heaven and earth edge toward chaos, Vishnu descends to earth in human form to restore balance. This time, Vishnu is reborn as RAMA (Ranbir Kapoor), a human prince destined to restore balance. Opposing him is the formidable, learned, undefeatable, and immortal demon king RAVANA (Yash), blessed by the Trinity themselves and driven by pride and a vengeance powerful enough to shatter the cosmos.
Unaware of his true purpose as the only opponent destined to stand against Ravana in a fateful cosmic design, Rama is the embodiment of Dharma (duty above all) and the most loved crown prince of Ayodhya, the greatest human dynasty of the time. Rama tries to build a life of quiet honour with his beloved wife Sita (Sai Pallavi) and loyal brother Lakshmana (Ravie Dubey), and those closest to him, until a twist of fate drives him into exile and toward an inevitable clash with Ravana, a reckoning so cataclysmic that it will decide the destiny of gods and mortals.