A young prince and princess marry, and are sent into exile. It is the beginning of one of the oldest stories in the world, known to billions, and Nitesh Tiwari has set out to tell it on a scale Indian cinema has rarely attempted.
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend opens in UK cinemas, including 3D and IMAX, on Thursday 5 November, with Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman share the score.
When Ramayana reaches for the heavens, it gets there. It just takes a long road to arrive.
Movie at a Glance
- UK release: In cinemas, including 3D and IMAX, from Thursday 5 November 2026 (Sony Pictures)
- US release: In cinemas this week (Sony Pictures)
- Director: Nitesh Tiwari
- Producer: Namit Malhotra
- Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Sai Pallavi, Ravi Dubey and Sunny Deol
- Music: Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman
- Certificate: 12A (UK)
- Runtime: About three hours
- Genre: Mythological epic
- Language: Hindi, with subtitled and dubbed screenings
Viewer Match
- Best for: Audiences who love spectacle, mythology and very big screens.
- Maybe skip if: Long running times test your patience.
- Mood and pace: Grand, devotional and slow-building.
- Cinema or streaming? Cinema only. The scale is the point.
- Spoiler level: Spoiler-free, beyond the well-known story.
A Story Known to Billions
Rama, Sita and Lakshman’s exile and the gathering threat of Ravana have been told countless times. Tiwari’s version is respectful and sincere, and clearly made for an audience that knows every turn of the tale.
We first looked at its scale in the Ramayana trailer.
Spectacle First
The visuals are the headline. The production design and effects are among the most ambitious ever seen in Indian cinema, and the battle and mythical sequences are often breathtaking. Zimmer and Rahman’s music adds to the sense of occasion.
Yash makes a magnetic Ravana, and steals much of the film whenever he appears.
Overstuffed
The trouble is the storytelling. At around three hours, and only the first part of the epic, the film tries to fit in a great deal, and the drama is often stiff. Critics have been split, praising the spectacle while finding the narrative heavy going.
Ranbir Kapoor gives Rama a quiet dignity, but the central relationship can feel distant amid all the grandeur.
See It Big
If you go, go big: 3D or IMAX. For the rest of this week’s releases, see this week’s Weekly Cinema Pack, and for tonight at home, see What to Watch Tonight.
Spoiler-Free Verdict
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend is a staggering technical achievement with a commanding villain and a thunderous score. It is also long, stiff and overstuffed, and only part one.
- Performances: 7/10
- Direction: 6.5/10
- Screenplay: 5.5/10
- Score: 8/10
- Cinematography: 8/10
- Entertainment Value: 6.5/10
- Overall score: 6.5/10
Star rating: 3/5
Verdict badge: Best watched in the Cinema
One-line verdict: Spectacular to look at, heavy going to sit through.
Watch the Official Trailer
See the scale of the epic in the official UK trailer.
Are you seeing Ramayana in 3D, IMAX or standard? Tell us what you thought.