Ramayana: Part 1 Movie Review
Movie: Ramayana
Release Date: 5 October 2026
CBFC Rating: U
Run-time: 3 Hrs 15 Mins
Telugu Release By SVC
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Sai Pallavi, Ravi Dubey, Rakul Preet Singh, Kajal Aggarwal, Arun Govil, Lara Dutta and others
Cinematography: Pankaj Kumar, Mahesh Limaye
Editor: Hufeja Lokhandwala
Music: Hans Zimmer, AR Rahman
Producers: Namit Malhotra, Yash
Director: Nitish Tiwari
Ramayana is a timeless epic of emotions, family bonds, battles, and dharma that feels fresh with every retelling. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and jointly produced by Namit Malhotra and Yash, this Rs. 4,000 crore spectacle released worldwide on November 5, 2026, starring Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana.
Plot
The film makes a bold and refreshing choice by beginning with Ravana rather than Rama. It establishes his rise, power, arrogance, and the world of Lanka before moving to Ayodhya. This opening gives the antagonist depth and context, making the coming conflict more meaningful. The narrative then introduces Rama, his childhood, his training under Sage Vishwamitra, his victory over Tataka, and his marriage to Sita after lifting Shiva’s bow at the Swayamvaram in Mithila.
Just when Rama is about to be crowned, Kaikeyi (Lara Dutta) invokes her boons, and Rama accepts fourteen years of exile to honour his father’s word. Accompanied by Sita and Lakshmana (Ravi Dubey), he enters the Dandakaranya forest, where life appears peaceful until Surpanakha’s (Rakul Preet) arrival disrupts it. Ravana then executes a cunning plan, using Maricha in the form of the golden deer, and abducts Sita to Lanka. Part 1 ends with Rama and Lakshmana beginning their painful search for Sita, and with Jatayu’s heroic resistance, setting the stage powerfully for the great war in Part 2.
Performances
Yash as Ravana is simply outstanding and undoubtedly the towering force of the film. His performance filled with menace, pride, and magnetic authority. He does not play Ravana as a caricature, he gives him intelligence, desire, pain, and terrifying ambition. Without Yash, this Ravana would not have possessed the same intensity or scale.
Ranbir Kapoor is equally impressive as Rama, though in a completely contrasting register. He embodies calm, innocence, dignity, and quiet emotional pain with remarkable restraint. His Rama is not loud or heroic in a conventional sense, his strength lies in his eyes, his stillness, and his unwavering commitment to dharma. Ranbir brings deep emotional depth without overacting, making Rama feel human, relatable, and divine at once.
Sai Pallavi brings natural grace and warmth to Sita, portraying her purity, strength, and emotional vulnerability with sincerity, even if her role remains relatively understated in this part. Ravi Dubey provides solid support as Lakshmana, capturing brotherly devotion and fierce loyalty beautifully. Rakul Preet Singh makes a strong impression as Surpanakha, while Lara Dutta, Arun Govil, Kajal Aggarwal, Shobhana, and Vivek Oberoi lend credibility and emotional weight within their roles, enriching the film’s ensemble texture.
Highlights
Yash As Ravana
Ranbir, Sai Pallavi Dignity
Visual Spectacle
AR Rahman – Hans Zimmer Score
Drawbacks
Slow Pacing
Slightly Stretched
Analysis
The first half patiently builds the world, characters, and moral universe of the epic. Nitesh Tiwari spends considerable time introducing Ravana, Ayodhya, Rama’s values, and the emotional bonds within the royal family, which helps even international audiences connect easily with the story. The contrast between Rama’s calm righteousness and Ravana’s aggressive ambition is beautifully established, and sequences like the training, Tataka episode, and Swayamvaram are staged with scale and sincerity. The second half gains momentum with the forest portions, Surpanakha’s disruption, the golden deer episode, Sita’s abduction, and the spectacular Jatayu fight. Although some stretches in Panchavati and the exile portions feel slow, the emotional stakes rise consistently, and the climax leaves audiences eager for the next chapter. The director deserves praise for presenting Valmiki’s epic not merely as mythology, but as an eternal battle between humility and arrogance, and for making it accessible to a new generation without simplifying its spiritual depth.
Technically, Ramayana is a landmark achievement for Indian cinema. The VFX, creatures, demons, flying elephants, and fantasy environments display world class sophistication, and the film looks magnificent in IMAX 3D. Pankaj Kumar and Mahesh Limaye’s cinematography turns almost every frame into a painting, while the background score by A. R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer elevates both grandeur and emotion with tremendous impact. The production design, costumes, and attention to detail in world building rival major Hollywood productions. Despite its slow pacing in places, this is a proud, immersive, family experience that introduces children to our mythology with wonder and dignity. Ramayana is India’s answer to world class spectacle, and it must be experienced on the biggest screen possible.
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: A Breathtaking Visual Spectacle Of Mythological Epic
