Nitesh Tiwari spent 10 years on Ramayana pre-production, consulted Pandits and Vashisht Yoga Shastras for script authenticity: Report
As revealed by the film's official social media handle the pre-production phase spanned 10 years, involving exhaustive work on scripting, screenplay, and dialogue development.
Ancient texts and spiritual guidance shaped the script
Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra researched the Vashisht Yoga Shastras, a renowned collection of yogic and metaphysical writings, and spoke with Pandits to guarantee cultural and philosophical authenticity. This research informed the film's thematic tone, character arcs, and narrative structure, ensuring that the screenplay was both emotionally relatable to contemporary audiences and rooted in conventional wisdom.
A cast worthy of the epic
The film has some well-known stars including Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman, and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. Supporting roles include Amitabh Bachchan, Rakul Preet Singh, Kunal Kapoor, Lara Dutta, Arun Govil, and Sheeba Chadha.
The announcement video, which showed glimpses of Kapoor and Yash, was accompanied by a striking part composed by Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman, which will mark a rare East-meets-West collaboration in Indian cinema.
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A decade of devotion: why the wait was intentional
The film's world-building began as early as 2015, with Tiwari and Malhotra choosing to delay production until the script met their exacting standards. The team reportedly conducted tech rehearsals in Los Angeles in early 2024 and built over 12 elaborate sets, many of which have now been dismantled as post-production begins.
The film is being co-directed by Ravi Udyawar and backed by DNEG, the Oscar-winning VFX studio behind 'Inception' and 'Interstellar,' ensuring that the visual storytelling matches the spiritual scale.
Release timeline and format
There will be two installments of 'Ramayana' the first on is scheduled for Diwali 2026 and the second for Diwali 2027. Ram and Sita's early years, their eviction, and Hanuman's introduction will be covered in the first section, while Ravana's role and the final battle will be covered in the second.
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