Star Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Sai Pallavi, Ravie Dubey, Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, Shobhana, Rakul Preet Singh, and others
Director: Nitesh Tiwari
What’s Good: Everything, absolutely everything is magical and hypnotic. It indeed is one of the grandest films of Indian Cinema!
What’s Bad: A little rushed up pace, since the time limit had to be taken care of!
Loo Break: Strictly in the interval!
Watch or Not?: Watch it at least once!
Language: I watched it in Hindi. But it is available in 40 languages; choose yours!
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 3 hours and 15 minutes
User Rating:
Ye kewal vanvaas nahi, iska kuch aur arth hai jo hamein pata karna hoga, says Lord Ram to his younger brother Lakshman, as he objects to Rama’s decision to go into exile for fourteen years! We see a Lord, who probably knows what the future holds for him in this human form, but who knows that this human form needs him to perform his duties as a son. We see the 6th incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram! Cut to one of the scenes in the climax – Agar ye Bhagya hai, to Bhagya ne mujhe kyun chuna Lakshman? We see Ram, a human being, feeling pained and helpless, losing his wife to a demon. A regular man, grieving his lost wife, and desperate to know why he deserves this separation! One film shows us two sides of the same man – one who knows he is the chosen one, and the other who questions why he is the chosen one. And in these two scenes, Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana wins for me!
It never ever gives you a glimpse of Lord. It never ever chants Jai Shri Ram till the end! It just lets you soak in the divinity and purity that eventually makes a human soul turn into the ultimate warrior prince! The sincerity that this story brings without any theatrics or dramatics makes it one of the grandest cinema pieces you might have seen in recent times!
Ramayana Movie Review: Script Analysis
Some stories are not just stories; they’re a part of our DNA. We’ve grown up with Ramlila grounds, Doordarshan’s Sunday mornings, and our dadi’s bedtime tales of an exiled prince, a kidnapped queen, and a ten-headed king. So what is it that Nitesh Tiwari’s film decides to do that stays in your heart? He decides to humanize this story as much as he can!
Ramayana Part 1, begins with the backstory of Dashanan. How did he become the king of Lanka, the ruler of the three worlds of this Universe? Ravana is fueled by his mother, Kaikasi, to gain the ultimate power, challenging Indra! He does. After establishing Ravana’s backstory, we move to Ayodhya, and the rest we know! But we did not see it happen, right? Honestly, when you see the film, you feel like you actually witnessed what happened eons ago in the Satayuga!
Ramayana Movie Review: Star Performance
No points for guessing, but Yash as Ravana is the one who takes the film and runs with it. He is demonically toxic, and the film proves why. His Ravana travels from a devoted scholar to a proud emperor. He wins with the Taandav, and while I thought this was his career-best scene, he arrives with the ten heads, dissecting his thought process in his mind, and oh man, you will be bowled over by that scene! He’s full of himself, and yet you cannot look away. It’s a performance of menace, vanity, and tragedy rolled into one, and it is the one people will be talking about when they leave the theatre.
Ranbir Kapoor as Prabhu Shri Ram is a very deliberate choice, and it works. His performance is marked by calmness, patience, compassion, and dignity, and he keeps it restrained instead of making Ram unnecessarily dramatic and godly! He is the most human form of Lord Ram you will ever witness, and trust me, it feels so soulful that you cannot take your eyes off him! The film brings out the “Maryada Purushottama” side of Ram through him, while still showing him as a formidable warrior when needed. This isn’t the Ranbir of Animal or Rockstar, and that’s exactly why it’s powerful. However, his restraint may not satisfy those expecting a more commanding heroic portrayal.
Sai Pallavi as Sita is the film’s emotional heartbeat. She doesn’t play Sita as just an ideal wife, but as a woman with thoughts and inner strength. Her expressive performance in the sequence where Ravana takes Sita away provides some of the film’s most moving moments. Her haunting purity translates into a performance that makes the abduction scene work well. She tests Ravana, before falling into the final trap.
The supporting cast gives the film its depth. Ravie Dubey balances Lakshman’s fierce loyalty and impulsive streak, Arun Govil brings emotional weight to King Dasharatha, and Lara Dutta convincingly shows Kaikeyi’s transformation. Rakul Preet Singh as Shoorpanakha looks commendable on-screen! Meanwhile, Addinath Kothare’s Bharat is the only one who feels a bit off! Sheeba Chaddha’s Manthra and Shobhana’s Kaikasi also work well! Saurabh Sachdeva’s Marich grabs attention, while Faisal Malik’s Kumbhkarna does not. Probably it would be more evident in part 2. Vivek Oberoi’s Vidyutjeeva looked interesting, but the dubbing kept distracting! Talking about dubbing, Sharad Kelkar’s voice for Ravana makes Yash shine ten times in the Hindi version!
Ramayana Movie Review: Direction, Music
Nitesh Tiwari takes on the biggest challenge of his career, and he does it with immense respect. He believes in the story, and so do you. The result is one of the most ambitious and visually magnificent adaptations of the epic. The sets of Ramayana are so magnificent that you are always spellbound! Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman’s background score wins in every single second! However, I agree, the songs do not work in favor of the film! The visuals of Ayodhya and Lanka are grand, and the sophisticated VFX and CGI make the mythical world immersive.
Nitesh Tiwari, along with Shridhar Raghavan, made a very smart choice with Ramayana. He lets us meet Ravana before we have a glimpse of Ram. Even the way the film opens, with Sharad Kelkar’s voice as Ravana echoing through the Universe first before we get a glimpse of Yash, the film sets its tone right, and this tone is heavenly! While Jatayu narrates the story, the tone is both mythical and intimate. It does not feel like a story being told from the pages of history; it feels like a legend that is being told by those who saw it unfold.
The film then follows two parallel journeys: Ravana rising to power through his devotion to Lord Shiva and defeating Kubera, and Ram growing into a righteous warrior under Sage Vishvamitra. So, what works about this structure is the parallel storytelling. Ravana’s pride and Ram’s patience run side by side, so when their paths finally cross, it doesn’t feel like a clash of hero and villain; it feels like destiny. The film refuses to paint Ravana as one-dimensional. He is shown as a morally grey figure, a scholar and a devotee whose pride slowly consumes him. That is the biggest creative win of Part 1.
Now, the flaws, because I must be honest. The screenplay rushes through Ram’s early life, Sita’s swayamvara, and the events leading to his exile, which deserve more drama and emotional weight. Moments that you wait a lifetime to see are over before you can fold your hands. A few dialogues also lack the poetic richness we associate with the Ramayana. Especially when Ranbir Kapoor arrives as Parshuram, I thought this would be the best scene of the film! But the confrontation is cut so short that it leaves a bittersweet taste for me!
Ramayana Movie Review: The Last Word
Ramayana: Part 1 is a film with a rare kind of courage: to be grand, to be sincere and to believe in its audience. Yash’s Ravana is a revelation, Ranbir’s Ram is quiet strength, Sai Pallavi’s Sita carries the soul, and Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman’s music wraps it all in a divine glow. Yes, the early chapters are rushed, but the film makes up for it with sheer scale and heart. The glimpse of what’s to come at the end sets the stage for an even bigger sequel, and with Part 2 arriving on Diwali 2028, the wait is going to be the hardest part.
4.5 stars!
Ramayana Trailer
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