…doesn’t quite feel epic yet, feels Mayur Sanap.
Key Points
- Ranbir Kapoor as Ram is probably the strongest element of the Ramayana trailer.
- Yash undeniably has screen presence, but his Ravan feels like an extension of his anti-hero image he has cultivated with KGF.
- It would be interesting see how Director Nitesh Tiwari combines heartfelt storytelling with fantasy on this unprecedented scale.
There are trailers that introduce a film. And then there are trailers that announce an event. As the first leg of the planned duology, Ramayana: Part 1 packs the excitement of the latter.
After months of set photographs, fan edits, brief glimpses, video leaks, and endless discourse over its VFX, the first proper look at this monumental saga is finally here.
It is safe to say the film looks massive in scale.
The visual design is miles ahead than what was initially presented. I am relieved that this world now feels much more Indian rather than inspired by Hollywood fantasy franchises unlike the earlier Ram teaser.
The biggest surprise has to be the design for Asuras. The monsters actually resemble beings from Indian mythological imagination.
Be it Indra Dev’s divine white elephant Airavata, or the demigod Jatayu, there seems to be a conscious effort to root the imagery in Indian iconography.
Even the architecture, costumes, ornaments, Panchavati forest, and the mighty Pushpak Viman have a sense of Indian-ness to them rather chasing a seen-before fantasy template. This is a massive improvement from the earlier glimpse.
The CGI, which had become a major talking point, appears significantly more polished than early speculation suggested. But the film’s reliance on green screens is still visible, making a few moments feel slightly uneven. With almost four months to go before release, there is enough time for the VFX to improve further.
The music stands major highlight, yet again. A R Rahman’s score blends Indian instruments with Hans Zimmer’s signature grand, cinematic style. We got a small glimpse of it in the film’s introduction video, and it returns in its amplified version.
I can’t wait to experience the magic these two Oscar winners have created together.
Ranbir leans into restraint
Ranbir Kapoor’s Lord Ram is the strongest element of the trailer.
There are plenty of theories about Ranbir possibly playing a double or triple role, but the trailer offers no clear hints.
As Ram, there is dignity in Ranbir’s expressions. He represents composure, righteousness and steady resolve as Maryada Purushottam. That’s exactly what the character demands. Instead of trying to make Ram look like an action superstar, Ranbir seems to lean into restraint. These are the qualities that were sorely lacking in Prabhas’ portrayal of Ram in Adipurush.
Sai Pallavi makes a striking impression as Sita.
It’s the kind of casting that feels right without trying too hard. The epic presents her as a figure of immense resilience and faith. Sai Pallavi appears graceful as Sita, and that’s perhaps the most important quality for the role. If the emotional scenes between Ram and Sita land, they could become some of the film’s biggest highlights. Her Hindi is also noticeably more assured than what was heard in Ek Din.
The trailer is at its most moving when King Dasharath cries out ‘Ram’ showing the heartbreak of a father forced to let his son go.
The way Sai Pallavi’s line ‘Aur bhagya mein jo bhi likha hai, mujhe svikaar hai‘ intercuts to the exile sequence makes for a beautiful transition.
Arun Govil as Ram’s father is a casting genius. Having the actor who played Ram in arguably the most celebrated version of the Ramayana, Ramanand Sagar’s television series, return in the epic is a nice nod to that legacy.
Ravie Dubey, in a brief glimpse as Lakshman, looks promising. In the epic, Lakshman is presented as impulsive, and that can be seen the way his character harms Shurpanakha, played by Rakul Singh. Her character sets up the core conflict between Ram and Ravan.
After keeping Ravan under wraps with only fleeting glimpses, the trailer finally unveils Yash’s larger-than-life avatar in full. The character is crafted to complement the actor’s towering screen persona, presenting Ravan as a formidable antagonist.
Yash undeniably has screen presence, but somehow, the trailer never surprised me about his portrayal of Ravan. The booming dialogue delivery, the intense glare, the exaggerated swagger, the theatrical body language — all of that feels all-too-familiar about Yash.
His presence in the trailer is too eager to announce every scene as a mass moment. For now, it feels less of an embodiment of Ravan and more like an extension of the antihero image the actor cultivated with KGF.
Hopefully, the film will explore complexities associated to his character and give us a different picture.
No sign of Sunny Deol’s Hanuman
The Ramayana has dozens of key characters. The trailer highlights them and hints at how these relationships will elevate the narrative.
Lara Dutta steps into the role of Kaikeyi, the queen whose fateful decision sends her stepson Rama away from his kingdom.
Sheeba Chaddha looks menacing as Manthara, Kaikeyi’s elderly maidservant, and she looks every bit the manipulative character that influenced her decision.
Then there’s Arun Govil as Dasharath, the grief-stricken king who is left heartbroken as he watches his son’s banishment.
There is no sign of Sunny Deol’s Hanuman. Maybe we will have to wait a bit longer for that first glimpse. Or maybe he will take centrestage in the next part of the film.
Trailer packs too much
It’s quite surprising how the trailer indulges in too many dramatic moments than it probably should. Less could genuinely have been more.
Major emotional moments, confrontations, and dramatic reveals flash by one after another. It feels like the trailer wants to re-assure audiences that every iconic episode is present in the film.
This also brings me to Nitesh Tiwari.
Fantasy epics operate very differently, and not every filmmaker has a knack for it.
Tiwari is a good drama director. Whether it is Dangal or Chhichhore, his biggest strength has always been extracting emotion from relationships rather than spectacle. Ramayana is a major leap for him as an storyteller, much like Brahmastra was for Ayan Mukerji. It would be interesting see how Tiwari combines heartfelt storytelling with fantasy on this unprecedented scale.
He has a strong backing of the source text which is epic in scale. This is the story that inspired countless stories over the years and has found new life across different genres.
You can see its influence in the family drama of Hum Saath-Saath Hain, cat-and-mouse chase in Raavan, social elements of Lajja, high-energy action spectacle of Singham Again, thematic echoes in RRR, and more recently in Alpha, where several characters clearly drawn inspiration from the epic.
The story itself invites comparisons to Homer’s Odyssey, which Christopher Nolan so effectively put to screen in his latest. Both are sweeping mythological journeys shaped by exile, war, love, and the long journey back home.
With Tiwari at the helm, here’s hoping the new retelling will explore emotional and philosophical layers like Nolan did, instead of reducing everything to visual spectacle.
For now, yes, Ramayana looks gorgeous.
The scale is staggering.
The visual effects seem to have improved dramatically.
But for a film that wants to connect with audiences across the world, the spectacular visuals alone won’t be enough. It has to work on the most fundamental level: The story and the emotions.
It remains to be seen if the film has got the emotional heart of the story right, because that’s what has made the Ramayana timeless.
I am curious and excited about this one.
After lacklustre Diwali releases in the last four years (Thamma, Singham Again, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Tiger 3, Ram Setu), this finally looks like a film worthy of the festive occasion.
