Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Part One opened in Indian cinemas on Thursday with a truly wide pitch: 11,621 shows nationwide, six language versions, 3D and IMAX formats, and a cast led by Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash. First reactions from moviegoers have been largely favourable, with the loudest praise reserved for the film’s visual scale, Kapoor’s Ram and Yash’s Ravana.
The scale of the bet
The two-part adaptation of the epic is produced by Namit Malhotra and Yash, with music by A R Rahman and Hans Zimmer and visual effects by DNEG, the eight-time Academy Award-winning studio. Its opening-day footprint, 11,621 shows, reflects how much the producers are asking of the exhibition network and of the audience.
The film has released in Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English. For a story drawn from a shared cultural text, the multilingual rollout turns the release into a true pan-India event rather than a Hindi opening with dubbed prints added later.
What early viewers are praising
Kapoor’s casting as Ram had been among the most debated decisions ahead of the release. After the first screenings, his performance has become one of the most discussed aspects of the film. One viewer called the film “the best Indian movie ever made”; another said no other actor across Bollywood or the South could carry Ram’s innocence in the same way.
- Ranbir Kapoor’s restraint and innocence as Ram
- Yash’s scale and menace as Ravana, his Hindi cinema debut
- The Jatayu battle sequence and DNEG’s visual detailing
Yash’s Ravana has drawn particular appreciation, with one audience member comparing him to the dangerous energy of KGF and praising the size of his action sequences.
A release engineered for spectacle
PVR INOX upgraded 150 screens across 107 properties with advanced 3D technology ahead of the release, taking its 3D network to 1,087 screens across India. South India received 57 additional screens, North India 46, West India 22, Central India 13 and East India 12. The film is also playing in IMAX.
The industry weighs in
Alia Bhatt wrote on Instagram that she was proud of Ranbir, sharing pictures of him with their daughter Raha on the film’s sets: he “poured everything into this one”, she wrote, and still had enough left for her. Karan Johar went further, calling the adaptation “nothing short of a miracle” and saluting the team for achieving what many could only dream of.
What to watch next
The opening-day response is only the first data point. Collections over the weekend will show whether the favourable word-of-mouth converts into the franchise-sized numbers a two-part adaptation needs. For readers, the film is available in 3D and IMAX, and the Jatayu sequence is the one early viewers keep singling out.
Source: Indian Broadcasting World
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