Nitesh Tiwari's upcoming film 'Ramayana', starring Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash, is the result of nearly a decade of research, planning and extensive visual effects work. Scheduled to release in theatres on November 5, the film is reportedly being made on a budget of over Rs 4,000 crore for its two parts, making it one of the most expensive cinematic projects ever undertaken.
The scale of the project is evident not just in its reported budget but also in the time invested in bringing the epic to the screen. From studying different versions of the Ramayana to designing its mythical flying aircraft, Pushpak Vimaan, the makers have spent years working on the film's narrative and visual elements.
Why did 'Ramayana' take 10 years to make?
A post shared by the film's official handle described the journey as "Ten years of Aspiration. Relentless Conviction to bring the Greatest Epic of all time to the World." It also highlighted the team's efforts to collaborate with some of the world's best talents to present the story with reverence and respect.
As reported by ETimes, Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra studied the Vashisht Yoga Shastras and consulted scholars and pandits to understand the philosophical and cultural traditions associated with the epic.
Speaking to host Suma, Tiwari explained that developing the screenplay was among the most time-consuming aspects of the project.
"The maximum time went into arriving at a structure, which we were convinced does justice to the base text, which is Valmiki's Ramayana, but also incorporates a lot of beautiful stories present in other versions of Ramayana. We have more than 300 Ramayanas and many small, beautiful stories that are part of the oral tradition, and every version of Ramayana is embraced by the people of the country," he said, as reported by The Indian Express.
He added that the challenge was to bring together these different interpretations while creating a cinematic experience for audiences worldwide.
Pushpak Vimaan took 2 years to design
The film's visual effects required years of work, with Tiwari revealing that the battle between Ravana and Jatayu alone took six and a half years to complete.
He said, "Great VFX takes a lot of time. Just to give you a very basic idea, so that I can sum up in a precise manner how much effort has gone into it, I have read that the Ravana and Jatayu fight is looking absolutely stunning and that the Pushpak Vimaan looks out of this world. Do you know how much time it took us to finish the Ravana-Jatayu fight? From the time I briefed the visual artists to the time we finished the work on it, it was six and a half years."
The Pushpak Vimaan went through nearly 40-50 designs before the team settled on its final appearance. Its development took close to two years, and changes to its structure meant that parts of the battle sequence had to be reworked.
Rs 4,000 crore budget for both parts
Speaking to Prakhar Gupta, Malhotra revealed that the combined budget for both instalments would be around $500 million, translating to over Rs 4,000 crore.
"When we set out to make this six or seven years ago, people thought I was a lunatic because no Indian film comes close to this scale," he said.
Despite the emphasis on scale and visual effects, the makers have maintained that the emotional depth of the epic remains central to the film.
Speaking to the BBC, Malhotra said, "Ramayana is ultimately about moral values, relationships and the emotions that come with them."
Tiwari added, "The biggest challenge was ensuring that those emotions were not overshadowed by the splendour of the world we were creating. However magnificent the world around the characters might be, the audience must remain emotionally connected to their journeys."
Malhotra summed up the ambition behind the project with the words, "From India, for the world."