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Ahead of Ramayana Part 1’s world premiere at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles on October 27, producer Namit Malhotra has laid out the most detailed public account yet of what the project is meant to become: not a single film or even a two-part franchise, but the starting point of a cinematic universe built on Indian mythology that he surpasses everything Hollywood has constructed around Star Wars, Marvel and DC.
At the Telugu pre-release event on Monday, Namit framed Ramayana not as a story to be adapted but as a philosophy to be unlocked. “The word Ramayana, as we all know, is really a philosophy. It is a word that we have grown up with. All of us have, from our fathers, our grandfathers, our multi-generations have known the story of an epic called the Ramayana. When we were conceiving this, this was not meant to be just a film. This was meant to be much more than that,” he said.
Namit was explicit that the franchise is designed to extend far beyond the two announced films. “The idea is not to make one or two movies and stop the journey of Rama. In fact, it is to start this journey. On the back of this movie, we can actually start to open up the different areas of engagement.”
Namit Malhotra then unveiled an unseen behind-the-scenes video.
The video outlined a franchise expansion plan that stretches far beyond the two announced films. The Ramayana universe, as Namit Malhotra envisions it, will include video games based on the property, a full merchandise line spanning apparel, toys, gadgets and home furnishings, spin-off projects including origin films, television shows and animated films, theme park experiences, a Broadway musical adaptation, and virtual reality, augmented reality and metaverse experiences.
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Namit Malhotra drew a direct line between Ramayana and the Western properties that have dominated global entertainment for decades. “When you hear stories about Star Wars, when you hear about Marvel or DC, the idea is that they’ve created what they call a universe. Ramayana is a universe. It is a universe in which we all live, in which we all interact and we all have different types of engagements,” he said.
Namit said educating Western collaborators about Ramayana’s scale was a significant part of the production process. “A lot of our time and effort went into educating them about what Ramayana really stands for. And for that, we had to tell them: this is bigger than anything you have. What people have in terms of Star Wars or DC and Marvel comics, which is fantastic, and all of us are big fans of, we can do it. But we have something that is even before all of that.”
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Namir Malhotra also addressed a criticism that has followed Indian mythological cinema for years: that it borrows its visual language and storytelling structure from Hollywood rather than developing its own. “From the art to the costumes, to the words, the characters, the creatures, the music, there is so much that is in the Ramayana. Fortunately, you don’t have to take inspiration from anything else,” he said.
He framed Ramayana as an investment in the next generation. “We were spending a lot of our time, effort and money to make sure that when we bring this to our children and to the next generation, this is something meaningful.”
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Ramayana is directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the National Award-winning filmmaker behind Dangal and Chhichhora. Ranbir Kapoor plays Rama, while Yash, who also co-produces the film through his banner Monster Mind Creations, portrays Ravana. Sai Pallavi plays Sita, Sunny Deol essays the role of Hanuman, and Ravie Dubey plays Lakshman. The supporting cast includes Kajal Aggarwal as Mandodari and Arun Govil, best known for portraying Lord Rama in Ramanand Sagar’s iconic 1987 television series Ramayan, as King Dashrath.
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The music is composed by Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman, marking one of the most high-profile composer collaborations in film history. The screenplay, adapted by Shridhar Raghavan and Nitesh Tiwari, is based on the ancient writings of Valmiki.
Ramayana Part 1 will be released worldwide on November 5, with Part 2 scheduled for Diwali 2027.
