Highlights:
The most hyped Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana: Part One has made a powerful start at the global box office, earning approximately £12.3 million worldwide on its opening day. Starring Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana, the epic has attracted considerable attention, with celebrities, filmmakers and audiences sharing their reactions after watching it.
While several prominent names have praised the film's visual scale, performances and music, some viewers believe parts of the storytelling could have been stronger.
The film collected approximately £5.16 million in India on Thursday (5), its opening day, according to the figures reported. Its domestic gross stood at around £6.16 million.
The Hindi version contributed approximately £3.78 million, followed by Kannada at £576,000, Telugu at £477,000 (Rs 6 crore), Tamil at £207,000 (Rs 2.60 crore) and Malayalam at £119,000.
The film's second-day performance was also drawing attention. According to trade tracker Sacnilk, Ramayana: Part One had collected approximately £2.39 million net in India by 7pm on Friday (6).
The film reportedly opened across more than 50,000 screens in 100 countries, with Sony Pictures handling its international distribution. Planned as a two-part saga, the production has a combined reported budget of approximately £31.81 million, with the second instalment scheduled for 2028.
What are viewers saying about Ramayana?
One audience review shared on X gave the film seven out of 10, praising the portrayal of Ravana and the visual effects while identifying the portions featuring Lord Ram as an area where the storytelling could have been stronger.
The viewer described the build-up to Ravana's story as flawless, praising the first 45 minutes and Yash's performance. However, the review felt that the section featuring Lord Ram moved slowly and could have benefited from tighter direction.
The viewer also praised the background score, visual effects and design of the demons, describing them as convincing without appearing excessively unrealistic.
The review concluded that the film was worth watching for its grand presentation of the Ramayana, although it could have been a nine-out-of-10 experience with a stronger narrative around Ram.
Ricky Kej calls it a major achievement in Indian cinema
Oscar-winning composer Ricky Kej was among the prominent names to praise the film. After watching it at an IMAX 3D screening in Bengaluru, he said he had initially expected to focus on its technical aspects, including the music, sound design and visual effects.
However, the story drew him in within minutes.
“Going in, as a musician and filmmaker, I fully expected to analyze the technical aspects, the score, the sound design, the visual effects. But within 4 minutes, the film completely drew me in. I forgot to critique and simply got engrossed in what is, without a doubt, one of the greatest achievements in Indian cinema history,” he wrote on X.
Kej also praised the combination of AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer's music, the film's writing and the visual effects. He singled out the Jatayu-Ravana climax as one of the strongest sequences, comparing the CGI to major Hollywood productions.
He encouraged audiences to watch the film on the largest possible screen, preferably in 3D.
Yash's Ravana and Ranbir Kapoor's Ram receive praise
Tamil filmmaker Shankar also praised the film's technical ambition, describing its visuals as something he had never seen before in Indian cinema.
He applauded the production values, sound, music and visual effects, while particularly enjoying Yash's performance as Ravana.
Actor Vivek Oberoi, who also features in the film as Vidyutjiva, praised Ranbir Kapoor's portrayal of Lord Ram. He said Kapoor brought grace, dignity and divinity to the character, particularly in the scene in which Ram learns of his father Dashrath's death.
Oberoi also praised Sai Pallavi's performance as Sita, highlighting her portrayal of the character's innocence and grace, as well as her agility in the battle sequences. He described her as a “warrior princess”.
Singer Armaan Malik praised Anupam Kher's narration and voice work as Jatayu, particularly the character's final fight sequence with Ravana, which he described as both emotional and visually striking.
Filmmaker and actor Viveck Vaswani also praised the screenplay, saying the trailers had not done justice to the film's scale and storytelling. He highlighted the challenge of bringing the essence of an epic into a two-part cinematic adaptation.
Salman Khan questions the focus on the film's budget
Not all the discussion surrounding Ramayana has focused on its performances and box-office figures. Salman Khan recently questioned the attention given to its reported Rs 4,000 crore budget and visual effects.
At the trailer launch of Maatrubhumi, he said the conversation should centre on the characters and the scriptures rather than production costs and technology.
“I just think Ramayana should be discussed for Ramayana and not its VFX or its cost of production. I think this narrative that Rs 4000…VFX, VFX, I just don’t think that is correct. Ramayana should be discussed for its characters, Ram, Ravana, Sita, on the scriptures,” he said.
Veteran trade analyst Taran Adarsh has also predicted stronger collections over the weekend and during the Diwali holiday period, noting that the film opened on a working day during the pre-Diwali period.
With strong opening-day numbers, international distribution and largely positive reactions from prominent industry figures, Ramayana: Part One has made a notable start. However, its longer box-office journey will depend on whether audiences continue to respond to the film beyond its opening weekend.
