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EYE ON BOLLYWOOD NOVEMBER 20, 2026 | The Indian Eye 40

Can ‘Ramayana’

become Bollywood’s biggest

blockbuster of all time?

OUR BUREAU
Mumbai

ith Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Yash
as Ravana and a reported investment of
Wnearly Rs 4,000 crore across two instal-
ments, Nitesh Tiwari’s ambitious retelling of the
Indian epic is chasing a prize much bigger than
box-office records: taking Indian cinema to the
world. But can a timeless story, star power and
Hollywood-scale technology guarantee an unprec-
edented commercial success?
‘Ramayana’, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, is at-
tempting precisely that. Released worldwide on
November 5, the first instalment of the two-part
cinematic adaptation has been conceived as a glob-
al spectacle, with the ambition of making an Indian
mythological story a major international entertain-
ment property.
The question is whether it can become the big-
gest blockbuster in Bollywood history. The Swaymwar scene from the movie based on the epic. Photo: DNEG
There are compelling reasons to believe that
it could. But there are also formidable commercial
and creative challenges. The music is another major attraction, with A.R. press, even after accounting for digital, satellite and
For Indian audiences, the emotional connec- Rahman and Hans Zimmer joining forces. music rights, the first film needs enormous theatri-
tion is particularly powerful. Generations grew up In an interview with AFP, producer Namit Mal- cal earnings to recover its investment. Trade analyst
listening to the Ramayana, reading its different hotra described it as “the largest production in the Ramesh Bala estimated that worldwide gross col-
interpretations and watching Ramanand Sagar’s history of Indian cinema”. He added: “The story lections of Rs 3,000-4,000 crore could be necessary
legendary television adaptation. The challenge for and the scale and the spectacle is something that to generate sufficient theatrical revenue to cover
Tiwari was therefore not merely to recreate familiar the world, I think, is ready to consume.” the remaining shortfall.
characters but to present them in a cinematic lan- Director Tiwari has emphasised that technolo- That puts the current collections in perspective.
guage that could appeal to younger audiences and gy should not overshadow the underlying message. The film is racing towards the Rs 1,000-crore world-
international viewers. “There’s a certain sense of timelessness to the emo- wide milestone, but the benchmark for the all-time
The early response suggests that the film has tions and the values which Ramayana stands for Bollywood record is considerably higher. Aamir
made a strong beginning. and that is exactly what we wanted to bring to the Khan’s Dangal remains the leading Hindi-language
According to trade figures, the film collected rest of the world,” he told AFP. film globally, with reported worldwide collections
Rs 511.10 crore net in India during its first seven The performances have also generated consider- of approximately Rs 2,070 crore.
days, while its worldwide gross reached Rs 934.55 able discussion. Ranbir Kapoor plays Rama, Sai Pal- There is also a larger cultural opportunity. In-
crore. Its strongest domestic performance came lavi portrays Sita and Kannada superstar Yash takes dian cinema has traditionally depended on its do-
during the Diwali holiday period, when collections on the role of Ravana. Ravi Dubey plays Lakshman, mestic market and overseas Indian communities.
crossed Rs 100 crore on Monday alone. The film while Sunny Deol appears as Hanuman in a sequence Ramayana could help change that equation by
has already surpassed several major Bollywood introducing the character for the next instalment. introducing an Indian epic to audiences who may
blockbusters in their lifetime collections. The Times of India gave the film 4.5 out of five have little familiarity with its characters but under-
The international response is equally import- stars, describing it as a spectacle that stands along- stand universal themes of love, conflict and sacrifice.
ant. The film has been released in multiple lan- side the world’s grandest cinematic productions. Yash told AFP that the production represented
guages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Its review particularly praised Kapoor’s restrained a moment when “East and West have come togeth-
Malayalam and English. Sony Pictures is handling portrayal of Rama and Yash’s commanding screen er in a true sense”. That may ultimately be more
international distribution, while the makers have presence. However, critical reactions have not been significant than any individual box-office record.
sought to position the production as an Indian story unanimous, with some reviewers questioning the Can Ramayana become Bollywood’s biggest
with global cinematic appeal. pacing and the film’s reliance on visual effects. blockbuster? The first week’s performance suggests
The international ambition is reflected in its There is, nevertheless, a substantial commer- that it has the potential. But a successful opening
technical collaboration. Oscar-winning visual-ef- cial question. The first instalment reportedly carries and a record-breaking lifetime collection are two
fects studio DNEG, which has worked on produc- a production investment of around Rs 2,000 crore, different achievements. The real test will be wheth-
tions such as Dune and Inception, is involved in with the combined expenditure on both films esti- er the film can convert its extraordinary initial inter-
bringing the epic’s fantastical world to the screen. mated at Rs 4,000 crore. According to Financial Ex- est into sustained international popularity.

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