With just a day to go before its theatrical release on November 5, ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’ is already generating considerable excitement among fans, following its early screenings. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the ambitious adaptation of the Hindu epic featuring Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman and Sunny Deol as Hanuman has social media abuzz about its planned two-part release.
‘Ramayana: Part 2’ release postponed to 2028
As per reports, audiences will get to witness the beginning of Lord Rama’s journey in the first instalment, however, they will have to wait longer than initially anticipated for the next chapter. ‘Ramayana: Part 2’, which was earlier expected to arrive in 2027, is now slated for release in 2028.Confirming the postponement in the release schedule, producer Namit Malhotra explained to E! News in an interview, “When we announced the first part, we were thinking of it primarily as an Indian film going to the world. Through the evolution of the film, we’ve now come to a place where we actually have two master versions.”He explained that creating the English version involved a separate edit and a rewrite of the OG script from Hindi “so that it can be presented in its own original form.”
Namit Malhotra reveals ‘Ramayana’ SPOILER
Revealing a major spoiler about the end of Part 1 and the plot of Part 2, he explained that the first instalment follows a young Ram, the eldest of three half-brothers, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna, as he is chosen as an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu to defeat the demon king Ravana, played by Yash. However, Sita’s abduction and the central conflict with Ravana will unfold in the sequel.Malhotra said the decision to push the sequel, initially intended for a Diwali 2027 release, to 2028, would give the makers an additional year to deliver the second instalment on the scale they envisioned. “We want to take a little bit more time to make sure that when we present the grand finale,” he explained. “That extra year, I think, is what I genuinely believe we need to do justice to a film of this size, especially when you see part two coming in, that will be a whole other story of what happens there.“The sequel will follow Ram’s journey to find Sita after she is abducted by Ravana. The producer stressed that, “We didn’t want to do a rush job or get ahead of ourselves, and we wanted to make sure that we delivered the finale in as much grandeur as it deserves.”
Namit Malhotra teases possibility of ‘Ramayana: Part 3’
Interestingly, while the makers have planned the epic as a two-part cinematic saga, Malhotra has not entirely ruled out the possibility of expanding it into a third instalment.During another interview, the producer spoke about how the original plan had evolved from three films to two, adding that the team’s eventual decision could depend on audience feedback following the release of the first two instalments.“So we started out the filmwe were gonna make it in three, then we decided to make it in two. we’re still in the middle of filming so, I’m not gonna give any spoilers, but you know, once we get all the response and all the feedback of the audience, also the way one come through. I feel like we may sit back on the drawing board and see if there’s anything else that we want to add or subtract, depending on how the world has received it. Because, you know, while we say that, we also have two different versions of the same film, with two different runtimes on part one itself. So, depending on which way the next round of feedback goes, I’d love to not have to make two different versions. I’m sure Nitesh would also like to stick to one version.”“We have enough material to warrant a separate version, but I think within the same master version, we have two different runtimes. So those are the things we are trying to assess, depending on how the audiences consume this.”
About ‘Ramayana’
‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’, has already generated good advance bookings which box office trackers have recorded an estimated Rs 100 crore for its opening-weekend. Early reactions from viewers have been encouraging, with audiences praising the action sequences, emotional moments, particularly the Jatayu battle, and the performances. However, some viewers have also pointed out issues with the action choreography and CGI in the English version.Mounted on a massive Rs 4,000 crore budget, the film has a runtime of 195 minutes, and has received a U certificate in India without any cuts, while it has been classified PG-13 in the US. It is also set for a worldwide IMAX release in Hindi and English.
