At long last, Ramayana: Rise of a Legend is finally here, and audiences across the globe can bear witness to one of the world's most iconic stories realized on the grandest scale imaginable.
Ahead of the film's release, we sat down with Indian superstars Ranbir Kapoor (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Sanju), Sai Pallavi (Premam, Gargi), and Yash (K.G.F: Chapter 1, K.G.F: Chapter 2) to discuss stepping into three of the most storied roles in Hindu literature—and how they balanced keeping these characters iconic while bringing them to life for modern audiences.
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: I’m a huge fan of all of your movies, so it’s great to talk to you. Ranbir, starting with you: unlike creating an original character, you’re stepping into someone who holds deep meaning for billions of people. How do you strip away your modern performance habits to find that divine composure for Lord Ram?
RANBIR: Thank you for the question. It was extremely challenging because after working for 18–19 years, you develop certain habits and skills as an actor. You laugh, deliver dialogue, or romance in a specific way that the audience has grown accustomed to. Unlearning that—going back to being simple, raw, and comfortable doing nothing—was a bit of a challenge.
It all begins with faith and belief. Having faith in Lord Ram and believing in the story makes the process much easier. You have to keep it simple without overthinking, stay balanced and relaxed, and feed off the energy of the other actors. That’s how I approached this as an actor.
ROHAN: Yash, Ravana is a complex character—the ultimate villain, but also a devoted Shiva Bhakt and a powerful ruler. How did you balance humanizing his intellect and vulnerabilities while maintaining his formidable, dangerous presence?
YASH: Most dangerous people aren't the ones who know they're doing wrong; they’re the ones who truly believe what they're doing is right. When approaching this character, I tried to find the reasons behind his actions and what drove him.
As humans, we often fail to understand another person’s perspective and judge their actions as wrong based solely on our own viewpoint. Ravana is powerful and has an incredible aura, but I wanted to explore his vulnerabilities, his inner struggles, and what he was trying to prove.
My approach blended his physical appearance with his mental makeup. Beyond that, there are technical aspects like camera lenses, framing, and aligning with the director’s vision. Combining all of that with the strength of the script allowed us to present a unique version of Ravana that people haven't experienced before. I hope audiences enjoy it.
ROHAN: Sai, Sita is arguably the strongest character in the film, and she possesses an immovable inner strength. How did you translate that fortitude onto the screen and modernize her character for today’s audience?
SAI: Thank you for that. Often, strength is shown through scenes where characters express their innermost emotions directly. For Sita, we placed her in situations that feel more relatable to a modern audience. She’s someone who speaks her mind without being opinionated or changing the natural flow of events; she acts as a witness.
For key moments like the exile and crossing the Lakshman Rekha, we depicted her as the true warrior she is—grounded in scriptures, but visually presented in a way that hasn't been shown in movies before. Playing Sita Ma brought a lot of personal pressure because I wanted to grow spiritually through the role as well. I’ve learned a great deal from the experience.
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.