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    EYE ON BOLLYWOOD                                                         APRIL 17, 2026    |  The Indian Eye 34

                               ‘Ramayana’ Teaser Ignites

                   Global Buzz as Makers Tune in to

                                                   Audience Pulse

                      Early glimpse of the epic sparks excitement as producers closely track

                                                  feedback ahead of its grand release

            OUR BUREAU
            Mumbai / Los Angeles

                  he first glimpse of Ramayana has set off a
                  wave of excitement across audiences, with
            Tthe makers now carefully assessing fan re-
            actions as they shape one of Indian cinema’s most
            ambitious projects.
                After months of anticipation, the teaser — ti-
            tled  Ramayana:  The  Introduction  —  finally  un-
            veiled Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, offering a
            visually rich and emotionally charged preview that
            has quickly captured public imagination. The vid-
            eo, which focuses on the journey and adventures of
            Rama, stands out for its grand scale and cinemat-
            ic appeal, while offering only fleeting glimpses of
            other key characters.
                Fans responded almost instantly. Social media
            platforms  were  flooded  with  reactions,  many  ex-
            pressing awe and anticipation. “Incredible! Gave
            me goosebumps. much-awaited,” wrote one view-        Led by Ranveer Singh, the ensemble includes Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan, Rakesh Bedi and Sanjay Dutt,
            er. Another called it “out of the world,” while a                      with a cameo appearance by Yami Gautam (File photo)
            third simply declared, “This is iconic.” The lan-
            guage of fandom — breathless, emphatic, celebra-  laboration that bridges global and Indian musical   continue to deliver the absolute best in every de-
            tory — reflected the scale of expectation surround-  sensibilities. The score, composed by Hans Zim-  partment,” he added, pointing to the scale of the
            ing the film.                                 mer and A. R. Rahman, signals the film’s ambition   effort behind the scenes.
                For Kapoor, stepping into the role of Rama   to  resonate  with  audiences  far  beyond  national   Crucially, the makers are not treating au-
            has been less about performance and more about   boundaries.                               dience  reactions  as mere applause  but as  input.
            introspection. “I don’t think I’m here to repre-  Yet, beyond the spectacle and star power, what   “We’re listening closely, working diligently, and
            sent Rama. I’m here to learn from him. There is a   has emerged in the days following the teaser re-  pouring  every  effort  possible  into  honouring  it
            simplicity and purity to him that is very rare, and   lease is a more nuanced dynamic — one of active   with the reverence it holds,” Malhotra said, signal-
            trying to understand and imbibe that has been a   listening. Producer Namit Malhotra has acknowl-  ling a feedback-driven approach rarely articulated
            deeply humbling experience,” he said, describing   edged the scale of the response, describing it as   so openly in big-budget filmmaking.
            the role as a personal journey as much as a profes- “overwhelming, inspiring, and humbling.”  “This  is  our Ramayana. It  belongs  to us all,
            sional milestone.                               “The response over the past few days has tru-  and that shared emotion and massive responsibil-
                Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by   ly been overwhelming, inspiring, and humbling.   ity to make every Indian proud is what drives me
            Namit Malhotra, Ramayana is envisioned as a   Seeing how our Rama continues to touch so many   forward every single day,” he added, framing the
            two-part cinematic saga — a scale that mirrors the   hearts across the world fills me with deep humility   project as a collective cultural endeavour rather
            epic it seeks to adapt. Rooted in the ancient Indi-  and joy. I cherish all of the conversations, the ex-  than a singular creative vision.
            an epic, the story follows Rama, believed to be an   citement, and feedback. This is a story etched in   The emphasis on feedback comes at a time
            avatar of Lord Vishnu, tracing his life as the prince   the souls of billions and deserves our utmost care,”   when audience expectations are evolving rapidly,
            of Ayodhya, his exile, and his eventual battle with   Malhotra said.                       shaped by global content exposure and heightened
            Ravana.                                          His words underline the weight of expectation   sensitivity to storytelling authenticity. For a project
                The teaser’s restrained reveal — with Sai Pal-  attached to the project. Unlike conventional films,   of this scale, early audience sentiment can play a
            lavi, Ravi Dubey and glimpses of Ravana’s king-  Ramayana carries cultural, spiritual and emotional   crucial role in fine-tuning elements ranging from
            dom appearing only briefly — has added to the in-  resonance for millions, if not billions. That reality,   visual design to narrative tone.
            trigue, holding back key elements while amplifying   Malhotra suggested, is shaping the way the team   The first part of Ramayana is scheduled to hit
            curiosity. The casting itself reflects the film’s scale,  approaches the film’s development.  theatres during Diwali 2026, with the second in-
            with Yash set to play Ravana and Sunny Deol tak-  “The many thousands of artists and collabo-  stalment expected in Diwali 2027. The festive re-
            ing on the role of Hanuman.                   rators who have been working away passionately   lease window underscores the film’s positioning as
                Behind the sweeping visuals lies a creative col-  are enthusiastic and energised to get out there and   a cultural event as much as a cinematic one.

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