New Delhi, Oct 27 There are several firsts attached to “Ramayana”, but Namit Malhotra, who is bankrolling the Ranbir Kapoor-led magnum opus, believes its biggest achievement could be taking one of India’s greatest epics to the global stage with its an English-language screening for mainstream Western audiences in the US.
The Nitesh Tiwari-directed movie is set to have its world premiere on Tuesday at the David Geffen Theatre at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, a prestigious venue that has hosted major premieres of films by leading filmmakers.
The 3D screening is expected to be attended by Hollywood celebrities, filmmakers, international press and industry representatives.
“I think it’s the ultimate moment for Indian cinema overall. In over a hundred years (of Indian cinema), it’s one thing to say that there’s a screening and the other is to say that there’s a whole city in the US, which has ‘Ramayana’ hoardings all over.
“You have a mainstream Western audience that’s coming in to see it. It’s not like we’ve come to America to show the film to Indian people because we would rather do that in India,” Malhotra told PTI.
Produced by Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios in collaboration with his company DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, “Ramayana” is being touted as the most ambitious Indian production ever.
Envisioned as a two-part cinematic epic, the film stars Kapoor as Lord Rama alongside Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman.
The producer said the film’s US screening is not just aimed at creating curiosity but also credibility.
“This is a massive spectacle coming out of India about one of the greatest epics and a Hollywood studio that’s distributing it. We’ve got some of the top Indian talent, some of the top Western talent, and they are all coming together to make something that’s never been done before, at a budget and scale. Again, that is unique to anything the rest of the world makes.
“America makes big movies, but when you look at other countries, ‘Ramayana’ would be one of the biggest films to come out of a country outside the US. It has several firsts attached to its name, and I believe the visibility and centre stage we hope to achieve for ‘Ramayana’ and Indian cinema go hand in hand,” he said.
The first instalment of “Ramayana” is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on November 5, 2026, while the second part is expected to arrive during Diwali 2027.
The film will be released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, with an IMAX release also planned.
Sony Pictures will handle the film’s international distribution outside India, while Dharma Productions will distribute it in the Hindi-speaking market.
The film’s star-studded cast also includes Sunny Deol, Anupam Kher, Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, Vivek Oberoi, Kunal Kapoor, Adinath Kothare, Arun Govil, Indira Krishnan and Lara Dutta.
(PTI News)
