S. Shankar, the filmmaker behind Enthiran (released in Hindi as Robot), has publicly praised Nitesh Tiwari’s mythological epic Ramayana: Rise of a Legend after watching it. In a post on X, he called the film a spectacle and said its visuals were unlike anything he had seen in Indian cinema.
The endorsement is early but carries weight. Shankar is not a casual viewer; he is a director who built his reputation on visual effects-driven spectacle. His 2010 film Enthiran, starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, was a landmark moment for Indian VFX. So when he says the bar has moved, Hindi cinema followers should pay attention.
What Shankar said
Shankar addressed producer Namit Malhotra and director Nitesh Tiwari directly, writing that he had “never seen visuals like this in Indian cinema.” He credited them with taking Indian cinema to international standards, and highlighted the VFX, production values, “look and feel”, music and “massive sound.”
On the cast, he was most effusive about Yash’s Ravana. “It’s a delight to watch Yash in every frame,” Shankar wrote, calling him a “lovable villain” and praising the quality of his performance. He also sent best wishes to Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi, and applauded the entire team.
The project behind the praise
The film’s scale is considerable, and the source of Shankar’s enthusiasm is easy to locate in its credits:
- Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana
- Ravi Dubey as Lakshman and Sunny Deol as Hanuman
- Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, Rakul Preet Singh, Sheeba Chaddha and Adinath Kothare in supporting roles
- Music by A.R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer, with VFX by DNEG
Why this matters for Hindi cinema
Peer praise from a VFX pioneer is a different kind of signal than a promotional quote. Shankar’s own recent outings, Game Changer and Indian 2, had underwhelming box-office runs, so his reaction reads more like craft recognition than marketing. That distinction matters for readers who follow the industry closely: it suggests the film’s technical ambition, at least, is being taken seriously by someone with credibility in the field.
At the same time, early filmmaker reactions are not box-office verdicts. They set expectations, and big-budget spectacles still have to clear the commercial bar with audiences. For now, the practical way to read this is to treat Shankar’s praise as evidence of a serious VFX and music bench, and to keep an eye on how the film is received once it reaches paying audiences.
Shankar, meanwhile, is in post-production on Indian 3, the next instalment in the Kamal Haasan-led vigilante franchise. His praise for Ramayana: Rise of a Legend may also be a sign of how the standards he helped set are now being contested by a new generation of spectacle filmmakers.
Source: The Times of India
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