What Ramayana Reviews DON'T Tell You

Recap

Vedant Rusty opens with a surprise: even the 7 a.m. IMAX screening of Ramayana was packed, with viewers applauding and reacting to the visuals. But his review quickly widens into a question about what the film is meant to be—not just an adaptation of the epic, but also a major technology and business project.

He argues that producer Namit Malhotra is using Ramayana to showcase Prime Focus, DNEG, and their tools, including Brahma AI, which can alter actors’ lip movements for different language versions. Rusty points to the company’s plans for games, merchandise, and theme parks, and sees the film as part of a larger effort to build an entertainment business—not simply make one movie. His central caveat: a successful tech demonstration doesn’t automatically make a successful film.

On screen, the effects are uneven. Rusty praises the opening, the ending, and the Jatayu–Ravana sequence, but says the quality drops in parts of the middle. He also questions whether the effects justify an expensive IMAX ticket, especially for families. One recurring point is that the trailer’s most impressive “hero shots” don’t represent the film consistently.

The story itself hits familiar milestones—Ravana’s rise, Ram and Sita’s story, and Ram’s exile—but Rusty says only some moments truly land emotionally. His standout is the scene just before the interval, when Kaikeyi asks Dasharatha to send Ram into exile: the performances, staging, lighting, and music make him forget he’s watching Ranbir Kapoor and draw him into the character. He also appreciates Ravana’s introduction, though some sequences feel more like exposition than drama.

Rusty’s performance verdict is mixed but not dismissive. He says Ranbir eventually makes Ram convincing and notes that audiences cheered when Yash appeared as Ravana. He also remarks that Yash’s Hindi dialogue, voiced by Sharad Kelkar, takes a little time to stop sounding dubbed. Despite the involvement of A. R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer, Rusty feels the score doesn’t consistently elevate the emotional or action scenes as much as he expected.

A major part of the review considers the film’s pitch to international viewers. Rusty questions whether a Western-facing version—with songs removed, Ravana’s ten-headed image absent, and Ram framed less explicitly as a god—still feels like Ramayana, or is instead reshaping the story for a different audience. He says international reactions were mixed and suggests the film’s Western prospects will depend on how clearly it works for viewers unfamiliar with the epic.

He also explains the distinction between owning the ancient story and owning a particular adaptation: the source text is not exclusive to Malhotra, but the film’s specific screenplay, designs, music, and character interpretations may be commercially protected. From there, he sketches three possible outcomes: the franchise could collapse after a flop, become a huge universe if audiences embrace it, or—his most realistic prediction—perform respectably while still proving valuable to the companies behind its technology and production.

Verdict: Rusty calls Ramayana decent rather than great. He wouldn’t rush to rewatch it, but thinks many people will want to see it once. The film’s spectacle has highlights, yet its uneven effects, music, and emotional impact keep it from feeling like the epic its scale promises.

Personalities Discussed or Mentioned

• Vedant Rusty — reviewer and narrator
• Namit Malhotra — producer
• Nitesh Tiwari — director
• Ranbir Kapoor — Ram
• Sai Pallavi — Sita
• Yash — Ravana
• Sharad Kelkar — Hindi voice for Yash’s dialogue
• A. R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer — composers
• Sunny Deol — appears in the post-credits setup as Hanuman
• Tom Hanks, Christopher Nolan, and Tom Holland — referenced in comparisons and discussion of international cinema