Ramayana Part 1: everything confirmed before release

Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Part One releases worldwide on 5 November 2026. This guide gathers what has been officially announced, or reported by established outlets, as of 3 November 2026. Where a detail rests on a media report rather than a statement from the makers, we say so, and the last section lists what is still unconfirmed.

The story: what the official synopsis says

The makers have released one official synopsis, and it is the only plot description we rely on:

When Rakshasa emperor Ravana, invincible to all but man, conquers the three worlds, Lord Vishnu descends as noble prince Rama. Bound by his father’s vow, Rama enters perilous exile with virtuous Sita and devoted Lakshmana. When Ravana abducts Sita, God in human form rises to fight the greatest war ever.

According to JioStar’s 21 October 2026 announcement, the film is a two-part live-action adaptation of Valmiki’s epic, adapted for the screen by Shridhar Raghavan. Part One is the first of the two films. We will not go beyond the synopsis here; for background on the epic itself and how the two films are structured, see our story and overview page.

Cast and crew

The lead cast, as listed by JioStar and repeated across reports by The Times of India, Hindustan Times and India Today, is:

• Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama
• Sai Pallavi as Sita
• Yash as Ravana (Yash is also a co-producer through his company Monster Mind Creations)
• Sunny Deol as Hanuman
• Ravie Dubey as Lakshmana

The ensemble named by JioStar also includes Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, Rakul Preet Singh, Vivek Oberoi, Kunal Kapoor and Kajal Aggarwal, among others. For who plays whom in more detail, see Ramayana characters.

Behind the camera, Nitesh Tiwari directs and Shridhar Raghavan wrote the screenplay. The music is composed by Hans Zimmer and A. R. Rahman. JioStar’s release also credits production design to Ravi Bansal and Ramsey Avery, and action to Terry Notary and Guy Norris. The film is produced by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios, in association with the visual effects studio DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations. According to an ANI report, Sony Pictures handles distribution outside India and Dharma Productions handles the Hindi-speaking market. Full credits are on our cast and crew page.

Release date, paid previews and bookings

The worldwide theatrical release date is Thursday, 5 November 2026, confirmed in JioStar’s official announcement. Paid preview shows in India on the evening of 4 November have been reported by The Times of India and The Economic Times; these are limited screenings at selected cinemas, so check your local listing before assuming a preview is available near you. Advance booking in India opened on Dussehra, as the makers had announced, and the film had world premieres in Los Angeles and London before release. Our release date and updates page tracks any changes, and Ramayana movie tickets covers booking.

Certificate and runtime

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certified the Hindi version ‘U’ on 30 October 2026, with a listed duration of 195 minutes (3 hours 15 minutes), as reported by News18 and The Times of India from the CBFC record. A ‘U’ certificate means the film is cleared for unrestricted viewing by all age groups. Bollywood Hungama has reported that the board asked for no cuts; that detail comes from the trade report rather than the makers.

With an interval, trailers and ads, most shows will run well past three and a half hours, so families should plan meals and travel accordingly. More on our runtime and certificate page.

Languages and formats

JioStar’s announcement states that Ramayana: Part One releases in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English. The CBFC runtime above is for the Hindi version; runtimes for other versions have not been published by the makers.

Formats include standard 2D and 3D plus IMAX 3D, IMAX 2D, 4DX, ScreenX, Dolby Cinema and 3D. JioStar describes the film as “conceived for IMAX and other premium cinematic formats”, and producer Namit Malhotra has said he believes it “should be experienced on the biggest screen possible, in IMAX 3D.”

Music

The score and songs are by two Academy Award-winning composers, Hans Zimmer and A. R. Rahman. Track listings and release details are collected on our music and soundtrack page.

Budget: what the makers have actually said

The budget figure is often misread. Producer Namit Malhotra told interviewer Prakhar Gupta, as reported by NDTV, that “the budget will be around $500 million for both parts combined, which is over Rs 4,000 crore.” At a promotional event in Bengaluru on 15 October 2026, Yash clarified the same point. As quoted by Hindustan Times and The Hindu, he said: “Ramayana is a two-part project, and the budget for both the movies combined is definitely Rs 4,000 crore. The budget includes post-production and promotional expenses as well.”

So the roughly ₹4,000 crore figure covers both films, including post-production and promotion. It is not the cost of Part One alone. The only per-part figure on record comes from court proceedings: according to MediaNama’s report of the anti-piracy case, the rights holder told the Bombay High Court it had spent around ₹2,000 crore on the first part. The makers have not published a breakdown between production and marketing. Details are on our budget page.

OTT: JioHotstar pay-per-view after the theatrical run

On 21 October 2026, JioStar and Prime Focus Studios announced that after an exclusive theatrical window, audiences in India will be able to watch the film on JioHotstar through a separate on-demand purchase, which JioStar describes as a first-of-its-kind pay-per-view offering. Neither the streaming date nor the price has been announced. Any site claiming a specific OTT date or price right now is guessing. We will update our OTT release page once there is an official announcement.

Bombay High Court anti-piracy order

On 2 November 2026, Justice Madhav Jamdar of the Bombay High Court granted a dynamic ad-interim injunction in a copyright suit filed by Godpower Media Private Limited, which, according to Bar and Bench, holds the copyright and exploitation rights in the film. The order restrains unidentified ‘John Doe’ parties and digital platforms from recording, uploading, streaming or distributing the film without authorisation. It also directs internet service providers and social media platforms to block or take down infringing links, including mirror websites, once the rights holder notifies them in writing. The company told the court that footage of both trailers had been secretly recorded at invite-only preview screenings and circulated online. MediaNama reports that the court will hear the matter again on 16 December 2026.

For viewers, the legal options are cinemas now and JioHotstar later. Our where-to-watch guide explains why links offering the film for free are both unlawful and a common route for malware.

Part 2: where things stand

Ramayana: Part Two has been scheduled for Diwali 2027 since the two-part plan was announced, and reports in October 2026, including The Times of India and Hindustan Times, continued to give that window. However, on 24 October India Today, citing Bollywood Hungama, reported that Namit Malhotra is considering moving Part Two to Diwali 2028 to allow more shooting time, particularly for the war sequences. India Today noted that the makers had not confirmed any change. Until they do, Diwali 2027 remains the last officially stated window. See Ramayana Part 2 for updates.

What is still not confirmed

• OTT date and price: JioHotstar pay-per-view is confirmed, but the date and price are not.
• Part 2 release date: Diwali 2027 was the announced plan; a reported move to 2028 has not been confirmed by the makers.
• Budget split: beyond the roughly ₹2,000 crore Part One figure cited in court, there is no official breakdown between production and marketing.
• Runtimes of other language versions: only the Hindi version’s 195-minute CBFC duration is on record. Reports about a shorter English cut have not been confirmed by the makers for India.
• Box office numbers: advance-booking figures come from trade trackers and change by the hour; they are estimates, not official collections.

How we put this guide together

Every fact above was checked against JioStar’s official release, CBFC details reported by News18 and The Times of India, court reporting by Bar and Bench and MediaNama, and on-record interviews reported by Hindustan Times, NDTV and India Today. Single-source claims are labelled as such. We will update this page after release.