Ramayana: Rise of a Legend: A Billion-Dollar Dream with the Heart Still Waiting in Part Two

Ramayana: Rise of a Legend is the kind of film that announces its ambition before the first scene begins. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra, this first chapter of a planned two-part retelling of one of India’s most beloved stories stars Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana. With a reported budget of around $500 million, it is billed as the most expensive Indian film ever made, and it spends that money in plain sight, with Hollywood-scale effects and a world built to dwarf the screen.

The spectacle is where the film is at its strongest. Critics across the board praise the visual effects, production design and sheer scale, with one reviewer comparing the experience favourably to Hollywood’s biggest mythic epics and others calling it a feast for the eyes, particularly in 3D. The performances also earn credit, with Ranbir Kapoor and Yash both singled out as the standouts, giving the central conflict real weight even when the screenplay doesn’t. At roughly three hours, the film feels grand in the way a Lord of the Rings entry does, and it ends on a massive cliffhanger designed to leave audiences hungry for the sequel.

The trouble is that the heart of the story often gets lost beneath the machinery. Several reviewers say the film rushes through its narrative, telling the audience what to feel instead of showing it, which leaves little room for the quieter beats that give this tale its emotional pull. Phrases like more spectacle than soul and a visual triumph with an emotional void recur in the critical response, and one prominent review scored it only two and a half out of five for losing the soul of the epic. Because the story is so familiar to its audience, the film doesn’t have the luxury of surprise, so it needs depth of feeling, and that is precisely where it falls short.

Reception has therefore been genuinely split, with some critics giving it a glowing four out of five while others dismiss it as an ornate thud. Both reactions are understandable. If you measure an epic by its scale, craft and ambition, this delivers handsomely, and if you measure it by its emotional resonance, it only partly does.

In the end, Ramayana: Rise of a Legend is a dazzling, high-gloss first act that earns its rating on spectacle and strong lead performances rather than emotional depth. It is well worth seeing on the biggest screen possible, and its fate will ultimately rest on whether Part Two can supply the soul that this opening chapter keeps just out of reach.

Xinemas Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5/5)

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