Filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari has spoken about his approach to making the upcoming film Ramayana. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, and Yash in lead roles. In a recent interview, he explained how he is handling such a well known and sensitive subject.
He shared that there are more than 300 versions of Ramayana in India. However, for this film, the team has decided to follow the version written by Valmiki. According to him, certain rules need to be followed while telling such a story, and the team has been careful about where to stay true and where to make changes.
Talking about this, he said, “As a creator, you are very well aware of certain do’s and don’ts; you can’t go wrong. We have stuck to that. Wherever you are not supposed to take any creative leap, we have not taken any creative leap. But wherever you can take a leap of faith, we have gone ahead and done that. I myself am an avid follower of Ramayana. If I’m not hurting my own feelings, if I’m happy with the work which I’m doing, I’m pretty sure that a lot of the audience will agree with me.”
He also explained that while the film will present places like Ayodhya and Lanka in a new visual style, the main focus will remain on emotions. He said, “See at the heart, it’s always the emotions. Ramayana is the story about morals, about principles, about relationships, about people. And that’s what’s going to remain at the core. What the visual effects and what the spectacle is gonna do is going to make it look even more beautiful, even more presentable, even more engaging. So that the audience can see the same story they have seen in the past in a completely new light.”
The film is produced by Namit Malhotra under Prime Focus Studios along with DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations. It will be released in two parts during Diwali 2026 and 2027. The project is being made on a budget of ₹4000 crore and has already received mixed reactions after an early glimpse was released.