Ramayana Part 1 review: first reactions as Ranbir Kapoor's epic releases
Ramayana Part 1 is out in cinemas today. Early reviews praise Yash's Ravana and the scale, but some critics found Rama flat and the story only half told.
Ramayana: Part 1, the most expensive film India has made, opens in cinemas worldwide today, Thursday, 5 November. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, with Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana, it releases in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, and abroad under the title Ramayana: Rise of a Legend.
What is new since our story on the advance bookings: the first reviews and celebrity reactions are in, and they do not all agree.
What the early reviews say
The reviews from premieres in London, Los Angeles and Mumbai split along a clear line: the film looks enormous, but not everyone felt it.
- Yash as Ravana is the most praised part of the film. One international review called the idea of treating Ravana’s ten heads as warring personalities “genuinely clever” and his performance sly and physical.
- The scale and design of palaces, costumes and the big mid-air battle won praise, and the score by Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman is described as thunderous.
- Ranbir’s Rama drew the most criticism. The same review, which gave the film 2.5 out of 5, found his calm, solemn Rama uninvolving and the Rama-Sita romance short on chemistry.
- It is only half a story. Part 1 stops just as the central conflict begins; Part 2 is planned for Diwali 2027.
- The English version is shorter. The international English cut runs 162 minutes, 18 minutes shorter than the Hindi original, and drops most of the songs. Its AI lip-sync dubbing was singled out as distracting in close-ups.
Other critics were far warmer, calling it a magnificent celebration of the epic. Expect the Hindi-language reviews, which judge the original cut, to be kinder than reviews of the dubbed version.
What celebrities said
Rapper Badshah, who watched it at a special screening in Mumbai on Tuesday, posted on X that “every frame is breathtaking” and that it “made me cry, even when we’ve known the story since our childhood.” He singled out the Jatayu scene as “insane.” Allu Arjun also wished the team well ahead of release, and Alia Bhatt attended the Mumbai premiere to support Ranbir.
Producer Namit Malhotra, whose Prime Focus is making the film with Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, became emotional at the Mumbai screening, saying the team knows how much heart and hard work the film demanded.
The money
The two-part production is reported to cost around Rs4,000 crore, which makes the opening weekend crucial. Trade estimates before release put the first day near or above Rs100 crore in India, with pre-sales worldwide already past Rs100 crore a day before release, according to media reports. Sony Pictures is handling the international release on a reported 70,000 screens; the visual effects are by DNEG. The rest of the cast includes Sunny Deol as Hanuman, Ravi Dubey as Lakshmana, Lara Dutta, Arun Govil and Rakul Preet Singh.
Can Pakistanis watch it?
Indian films are still not released in Pakistani cinemas, so there is no legal screening here. The film is expected on a streaming platform after its theatrical run, but no date has been announced. The first official box office figure, due on Friday, will show whether the mixed reviews matter.
