First look of Ranbir Kapoor’s Ramayana unveiled
The first look of Ranbir Kapoor’s much-awaited film Ramayana has been unveiled, revealing him as Lord Ram.
The producers of Ramayana set off a social media firestorm yesterday when they published a three-minute “Introduction Video” that finally displays Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, fully grown and wearing an elaborate royal dress.
Presented to a selected audience of media and fans at a multiplex cinema in suburban Mumbai, the clip begins with West Asian-like drone shots of a golden Ayodhya and then cuts to an archer alone on the banks of the Sarayu river. This is Ranbir Kapoor as Ram, ready to shoot and poised against a charcoal-colored rising sun, turning the blood‑red tropical sky, giving a dawn sky the ambiance of battle.
Just a few minutes after the screening, the video was sent to fan events in nine Indian cities and flashed across a massive digital billboard in Times Square, New York, bringing the reveal to a global audience.
The teaser speeds through highlights of Part One: Sita’s swayamvar, Lakshman’s oath-taking, and a shadow-filled glimpse of Yash as a cloaked Ravana. DNEG, a VFX house, has created photoreal jungle kingdoms to vast stepped palaces on a scale never seen.
As a closing title card alert, Ramayana will come in two festival waves: Diwali 2026 for Part One and Diwali 2027 for Part Two.
In addition to Ranbir Kapoor, the film has Sai Pallavi fit into the graceful Sita role, Yash as the fearsome yet charming Ravana, Sunny Deol as the mighty Hanuman, and Ravi Dubey as the ever-loyal Lakshman.
Supporting characters also featured in the ensemble are Lara Dutta (as Kaikeyi), Rakul Preet Singh (as Surpanakha) and Kajal Aggarwal (as Mandodari). Thus, shaping up to be one of the most eclectic ensembles in recent Bollywood history.
Tiwari’s adaptation starts in what the teaser calls “an age before time, when gods walked among men”. A voice-over explains how the peace between mortals, sages and the Devas is shattered with the rise of the demon king, creating the eternal conflict of light against dark, the eternal struggle that propels the Ramayana.
The film differentiates itself by portraying Rama as a mortal prince who must achieve divinity through bravery and sacrifice, not a deity in disguise. This is an important choice for the team, who believe it will resonate with audiences around the world.
Reports place the production budget at approximately ₹835 crore (around US $100 million) making it the most expensive Indian film ever made.
The overall budget is only for Part One and includes an unprecedented portion for virtual production stages, real‑time rendering tools, and an international stunt team, led by veterans of Mad Max and the Avengers.
With an astronomical budget, Hollywood-Bollywood collaborations, and well-respected Indian actors, Ramayana is kicking off the production process as something more than just another mythological film. This project signifies an industry taking aim at the global box office while bringing a renewed energy to a story that already matters to more than a billion people.
If the first look is any indication, Tiwari and team are banking that a combination of state-of-the-art visuals and genuine storytelling will allow Rama’s arrow to fly far beyond India’s shores, when it is finally released in theatres next Diwali.
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