"Please don't try to find small faults in the VFX. It will never happen again if we lose people like him (Namit) now.
It will take more years. We will go back in time.
Let’s see the film with an open mind."At the Hyderabad pre-release event of Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, Yash, who plays Ravana in the film, made this appeal to audiences. The first part of his statement, asking viewers not to scrutinise the film's visual effects, received considerable flak, and rightfully so.
Audiences are entitled to question the quality of a product they pay to watch. However, the intent behind the latter part, particularly his concern about losing a filmmaker and producer like Namit Malhotra, seems to have been buried under the backlash.For a project of this scale, success is not merely about setting records or establishing a new benchmark in visual spectacle.
It is about demonstrating that Indian stories, backed by the financial muscle, technical expertise and production scale associated with major Hollywood franchises, can find audiences across the world. More importantly, that success needs to translate into theatrical business rather than depending on an OTT release waiting for the film to be 'discovered'.
Indian cinema needs its stories to sell tickets globally, not just trend on streaming platforms months after their theatrical run.Here are five reasons why Ramayana's success could mean much more to Indian cinema than just another blockbuster. 1.
Confidence to dream big. Worldwide big!A project like Ramayana requires an extraordinary financial commitment, years of preparation and the coming together of talent across multiple industries, including Hollywood.
Namit Malhotra's ambition to mount an Indian epic on a scale comparable to some of the biggest international spectacles is a massive gamble. If the film succeeds, it could validate that ambition, encourage Malhotra to undertake even bigger projects and, more importantly, give other Indian filmmakers the confidence to dream just as big.International studio involvement in Indian cinema is hardly new.
Fox Star Studios was associated with films such as Dangal and My Name Is Khan, while Warner Bros backed Chandni Chowk to China. Disney, Sony Pictures, Universal and Paramount have also had their share of involvement in the Indian market.
However, there is a significant difference between investing in, distributing or backing an Indian film and mounting a homegrown story with the financial commitment and production scale of a major international spectacle. The budgets and ambitions are not quite in the same league.
That is where Ramayana could change things. Its success could catch the attention of international studios and investors who might otherwise hesitate to put their money behind Indian stories.
It could demonstrate that homegrown narratives need not be restricted by the production limitations traditionally associated with Indian cinema. The possibility of attracting bigger investments, accessing global technical expertise and opening up multiple avenues for collaboration could become far more realistic.
And this is precisely why Yash's larger concern about losing a filmmaker like Malhotra deserves consideration. India needs more producers willing to put their money where their ambition is.2.
Taking the RRR effect several steps furtherSS Rajamouli's magnum opus RRR demonstrated that an Indian film could travel far beyond its domestic market and become a genuine talking point internationally. Its success, including its global awards recognition, opened doors for Indian cinema and brought renewed attention to the country's filmmaking talent.
More importantly, it penetrated the Western market and found audiences beyond the South Asian diaspora. That was a significant breakthrough.However, Ramayana has the potential to take that conversation several steps further.
Unlike a film whose international popularity grew substantially through word of mouth and subsequent discovery on OTT, Ramayana is being mounted with an explicitly global theatrical ambition. Its source material is deeply rooted in Indian culture, but the epic's central themes, characters and conflicts have a familiarity that extends across countries and communities.If it manages to connect with audiences beyond the Indian diaspora, it could expand the market for Indian theatrical releases in the West.
The real victory would be establishing Indian cinema as a viable theatrical proposition for international audiences, rather than an offering primarily consumed by Indians living abroad.We have seen what happens when the world discovers India. Everybody wants a piece of it.We have also seen what happens when the world discovers Indian films.
Now, imagine the possibilities if Indian films are mounted with the intention of bringing the world into theatres from day one.3. A bigger international market for younger Indian starsIndian cinema already has several established global faces.
Rajinikanth, Mohanlal, Mammootty and Shah Rukh Khan, among others, command considerable attention internationally. Telugu stars like Prabhas, Allu Arjun and others, too, have built massive overseas markets.
A significant part of that audience continues to come from the Indian diaspora.However, the same level of international recognition, if not more, is yet to become commonplace for a younger generation of stars across industries. Yash and Ranbir Kapoor have already established themselves as major names in Indian cinema and have a considerable international footing.
But Ramayana could give them an opportunity to consolidate that standing on a much bigger platform.With Yash playing Ravana and Ranbir taking on the role of Rama, the film brings two commercially established stars together in a project with global ambitions. If it travels beyond Indian markets, it could introduce both actors, along with Sai Pallavi and the rest of the ensemble, to audiences who might not have otherwise followed their respective filmographies.
4. It is time to dethrone DangalIt has been nearly a decade since Aamir Khan's Dangal arrived in theatres, and its worldwide box-office record continues to be the benchmark for Indian cinema.
That a film released in 2016 continues to occupy such a prominent position raises an interesting question: Has Indian cinema struggled to consistently produce theatrical spectacles that can transcend geographical boundaries and challenge that benchmark?Several films have arrived with enormous commercial ambitions since then, but the record has remained elusive. According to trade website Sacnilk, Aamir Khan's Dangal leads the worldwide rankings with Rs 2,070.30 crore.
Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge (2026) follows with Rs 1,813.39 crore, while Allu Arjun's Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024) stands at Rs 1,742.10 crore. Both films have come remarkably close, but neither has managed to dethrone Aamir Khan's blockbuster.
Photo credits: IMDb Ramayana has the ingredients that could make it a serious contender: a globally recognisable epic, a large-scale worldwide release, an established star cast, enormous production ambition and a story with cultural significance extending beyond India's borders. It also has the advantage of being a two-part saga, giving it the opportunity to build a sustained theatrical following.Dethroning Dangal would be a landmark achievement, but the larger point is what such a milestone would represent: a new ceiling for the worldwide theatrical business of Indian films.
A decade is a long time to hold on to a record. Perhaps Indian cinema is overdue for a new benchmark.
The cherry on top? Director Nitesh Tiwari, who created history with Dangal, breaking his own record.
It has a nice ring to it, isn't it?5. Imagine what a Mahabharata could look likeIndia has no shortage of stories that can be translated into cinematic spectacles.
From mythology and ancient history to folklore and lesser-known epics, the country has a vast storytelling repository that remains relatively unexplored at this scale. We have stories, characters, conflicts and worlds that could rival some of the biggest cinematic franchises.
What we have often lacked is the willingness and financial backing to bring them to life with grandeur on this level.A successful Ramayana could help build the confidence and ecosystem necessary to make that possible. And the possibilities are exciting.
Imagine what a Mahabharata made with similar ambition could look like. We have spent decades and seen several iterations of these stories on screen, but all of them have been within set boundaries and limitations.
Ramayana's success could break these boundaries and limitations. Ultimately, the success of Ramayana could be about much more than one film, one production house or even one box-office record.
It could determine how confidently Indian cinema tells its biggest stories and how far the industry is willing to go to take them to the world.Ramayana: Rise of a Legend is the first instalment of the two-part epic produced by Namit Malhotra and Yash. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi, alongside Ravi Dubey, Sunny Deol, Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, Shobana, Vivek Oberoi and Anupam Kher, among others.
The music for the film has been composed by AR Rahman in collaboration with Hans Zimmer.With a worldwide theatrical release on November 5 and early screenings and previews already generating conversations, the spotlight is firmly on the film. It remains to be seen whether its scale, storytelling and characters will drown out the chatter or whether the 'nitpicking' will prove too hard to ignore.
Either way, the stakes are considerably big, worldwide big for Indian cinema!- EndsMUST WATCH: