Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi's much-awaited Ramayana is set to hit theatres on November 6, a date that holds personal significance for the actor. The release coincides with the fourth birthday of Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt's daughter, Raha Kapoor.
The film, one of the most expensive Indian productions ever mounted, has generated considerable buzz since its announcement. Apart from Ranbir and Sai Pallavi, the cast includes Sunny Deol, Yash and Ravi Dubey in key roles.
Ranbir on how Ramayana changed his life
Ahead of the film's release, Ranbir had spoken about the impact portraying Lord Rama had on him, calling it a transformative experience.
Reflecting on accepting the role, he admitted he initially had doubts about playing such a revered character.
“I understood not that it would be something like a career-defining move for me, but it was definitely life-defining; it changed my life. It got me closer to understanding the Ramayana, to understanding Lord Rama's journey. I think it made so many positive changes in my life. My bad habits changed, it changed my value system, the way I look at life, the way I look at loss, the way I look at sacrifice, the way I look at dharma, and I think I really needed that in my life,” he told Top magazine.
He also linked the experience to his daughter, saying, “It was such a sweet coincidence in my life. Raha made me a better person and Ramayana wanted me to be a better person for Raha, so everything was connected. Like I said, I was at the right place at the right time when a film of this magnitude was being made on our truth, on our culture, on our history in the most authentic way. It was just a blessing and I'm going to be grateful for all my life.”
Trailer and record-breaking budget
The film's trailer was released globally on July 30 after a postponement and received mixed reactions from viewers.
Producer Namit Malhotra has revealed that the two-part project is being made on a budget of around Rs 4,000 crore.
Speaking to Prakhar Gupta, he said, “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. Put simply, the budget will be around $500 million for both parts combined, which is over Rs 4,000 crore.”
He added, “We're making the largest film in the world for the greatest epic that deserves to be seen globally. And yet, I believe we're doing it more efficiently than some of the biggest Hollywood films. We're not being irresponsible — we're being ambitious, but grounded.”
Ramayana will be released in two parts, with the first film arriving in theatres on November 6, while the second instalment is scheduled for Diwali 2027.