One week to go. Honestly, I had stopped trusting any Ramayana movie release date, because Nitesh Tiwari’s epic seemed to be “coming soon” forever. Well, it’s happening. LA got its world premiere on 27 October, tickets are selling quickly, and Part 1 hits cinemas on 5 November 2026. Cast, money, gossip and dates are all below.
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Ramayana Movie Release Date
Abroad they’re selling Part 1 as Ramayana: Rise of a Legend. It opens everywhere on Thursday, 5 November 2026, right in the Diwali rush. Special preview shows are planned for 4 November.
The makers confirmed the date in October, and advance bookings in India opened on Dussehra, 20 October. The second part is expected around Diwali 2027. Nothing more exact has been announced for it yet.
Ramayana Cast: Who Plays Whom
The casting has been talked about for years, and the final line-up is strong:
- Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama
- Sai Pallavi as Sita
- Yash as Ravana (he is also a co-producer)
- Ravie Dubey as Lakshman
- Sunny Deol as Hanuman
- Arun Govil as King Dasharatha
- Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi
- Rakul Preet Singh as Surpanakha
- Sheeba Chaddha as Manthara
- Adinath Kothare as Bharat
Hang on, there’s more. Per Hindustan Times you’ll also spot Kajal Aggarwal, Vivek Oberoi, Kunal Kapoor, Indira Krishnan and Anupam Kher.
And Arun Govil being there? I smiled when I read that. For an entire generation, he was Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s TV series, and now he plays Ram’s father.
Director, Producers and Music
Behind the camera is Nitesh Tiwari, yes, the Dangal and Chhichhore guy. Money and muscle come from Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios, his VFX house DNEG, and Monster Mind Creations, which belongs to Yash.
The music comes from Hans Zimmer and A. R. Rahman, two Oscar winners working on one Indian film. That pairing alone has pulled in plenty of international attention.
Ramayana Budget: How Much Did It Cost?
This is the question everyone asks, and the honest answer comes in two parts.
At the trailer launch in Bengaluru on 15 October, Yash addressed the widely quoted ₹4,000 crore figure. He said that number covers both parts together, counting post-production and promotional work, not just the first film.
For Part 1 alone, India Today reports a budget of around ₹2,000 crore. The makers have not published an official per-film figure, so read that as a reported estimate.
Either way, this is the most expensive Indian film ever made. Trade expert Ramesh Bala told India Today that, using the usual 2.5x rule, Part 1 would need roughly ₹5,000 crore worldwide to break even. He was clear that this is an indicative number, since satellite, digital and other rights will also bring money in.
Bookings So Far
Early numbers look healthy. Some reported figures so far:
- Around 1.33 lakh tickets and about ₹7.5 crore gross by the afternoon of 22 October, per Sacnilk data quoted by India Today
- About 2.15 lakh tickets and more than ₹11 crore a few days later, per The Indian Express as quoted by News18
- Over ₹15 crore in Indian advance bookings by 29 October, according to Zoom TV
Zoom TV says the plan is roughly 50,000 screens across about 100 countries. Huge. Delhi-NCR and Mumbai are leading the advance sales.
Ticket prices have raised eyebrows. Some premium seats touched ₹3,170, India Today says, and plenty of fans are grumbling. My cheap trick? Weekday morning, normal screen.
Latest News: LA Premiere, Trailer and the AI Question
World premiere in Los Angeles. The LA show happened on 27 October at the Academy Museum’s David Geffen Theater, with Ranbir, Sai Pallavi, Yash, Tiwari and Malhotra on the carpet. Hollywood launches its own big films in that room. Pretty bold place for an Indian epic to debut, and I think that’s the point.
Two trailers, two tones. The second trailer came out on 15 October in English and Hindi. The Indian Express noticed that the English version calls Ram “not God, but man”, while the Hindi version leans into Ram as Vishnu’s avatar and gives Ravana more lines about his powers. It is clearly pitched one way for global audiences and another way for Indian ones.
No AI voice cloning. Rumours spread that AI was used to dub the English version. Nitesh Tiwari has said AI is being used for lip-syncing, not for the voices. The English dubbing was done by real voice artists.
First reactions. After the premiere, one viewer on X compared the film to The Lord of the Rings and said the cliffhanger ending made him shout “no” when the screen went black. That is one person’s reaction, so wait for proper reviews on release day before making up your mind.
Ramayana OTT Release
Nothing official on streaming yet. No platform, no date. Those “OTT release” posts floating around? Pure guessing. Give it a few weeks after the theatrical run starts.
Should You Watch It in Theatres?
If any Indian film of the last few years was made for the big screen, it is this one. The scale, the VFX from DNEG and a Zimmer-Rahman score are exactly what IMAX and large-format screens exist for. My suggestion: if the premium tickets are too expensive, book a standard screen in the first week anyway. Watching Ravana’s entry with a whistling crowd beats watching it alone on a phone.
FAQ
What’s the Ramayana movie release date?
5 November 2026, worldwide. Previews run a day earlier, on 4 November.
Who’s playing Ravana?
Yash. He’s a co-producer too, via Monster Mind Creations.
How much did Ramayana cost?
Going by Yash, ₹4,000 crore is the bill for both films put together, promotion and post-production included. Part 1 alone is around ₹2,000 crore as per India Today. The makers haven’t split it officially.
Who did the music?
Zimmer and Rahman, together. Still sounds unreal to me.
And Part 2?
Diwali 2027 is the talk. Nobody has fixed a day yet.
Can I stream Ramayana yet?
Not yet. The streaming platform and date have not been officially announced.