Ramayana (2026) Review: Nitesh Tiwari's Tender Epic

The film begins not with war but with a wedding. A young prince, Ram (Ranbir Kapoor), meets a princess, Sita (Sai Pallavi), and the courtship that follows is given real room to breathe. Soon comes the swayamvar, the breaking of the great bow, and the marriage that unites two kingdoms and two hearts. The mood darkens when the machinations of Queen Kaikeyi (Lara Dutta) turn a family celebration into a sentence of fourteen years in the forest. Ram accepts the exile without bitterness, Sita insists on walking beside him, and Lakshman (Ravi Dubey) refuses to be left behind. Their departure from Ayodhya is the emotional spine of the film. Meanwhile, far to the south, the shadow of Ravana (Yash) stretches across the land. We see him first as a scholar, then as a conqueror, then as a man whose pride is already writing his downfall.

Tiwari, best known for Dangal and Chhichhore, does something brave here. He refuses to rush. The first hour is almost domestic - palace corridors, family dinners, a mother's blessing - and it works because the actors make it work. Kapoor plays Ram as a man of quiet conviction rather than a warrior of grand speeches, and his restraint is the film's greatest asset. Every glance at Sita carries weight. Sai Pallavi is a revelation. She gives Sita a steady, luminous dignity and a wit that keeps her from becoming a mere symbol; her insistence on accompanying her husband into exile lands with genuine moral force. Ravi Dubey's Lakshman is loyal and prickly in equal measure, a nice touch of humanity in a character often reduced to a footnote.

Then there is Yash. His Ravana is the film's most fascinating puzzle - regal, thoughtful, terrifying in stillness rather than volume. Tiwari wisely avoids turning him into a cartoon villain, and the few scenes he shares with the narrative build a sense of dread that pays off handsomely in the final act. Lara Dutta's Kaikeyi is another standout, finding heartbreak beneath the scheming. And yes, seeing Arun Govil, beloved by generations as the screen's Ram, now playing King Dashrath is a piece of casting that lands like a quiet benediction.

Visually, the film is polished rather than overwhelming. Production design favours golden palaces and lush forests over digital excess, and the action, when it arrives, is used sparingly and coherently. The one stumble is pacing in the middle stretch, where the transitions between Ayodhya and the wilderness occasionally sag. The film also ends, unapologetically, on a cliffhanger that sets the stage for greater challenges ahead. If you come expecting a complete arc, temper that expectation.

Pros

• Ranbir Kapoor brings quiet depth and conviction to Ram without overplaying the divine
• Sai Pallavi is superb, giving Sita warmth, wit and unmistakable agency
• Yash's Ravana is magnetic and complex, a villain worth fearing
• Nitesh Tiwari directs with restraint and clear emotional intelligence
• Strong supporting cast, especially Lara Dutta and Arun Govil
• Polished, tasteful production design that favours atmosphere over noise

Cons

• The deliberate pacing tests patience, especially in the middle section
• The cliffhanger ending leaves the story feeling incomplete
• Action sequences are fewer than the genre tags might suggest
• Some subplots are introduced only to be deferred to the sequel

Ramayana is that rare blockbuster that trusts its audience to sit still and feel. It is a foundation stone rather than a finished temple, and judged as a first chapter it is close to superb. The performances alone justify the ticket - Kapoor's gravitas, Pallavi's radiance, Yash's coiled menace - and Tiwari's restraint is a gift in an era of sensory overload. It is faithful to the original language of its storytelling, a Hindi-language Bollywood production through and through, and it wears its heritage with grace. See it for the craft. See it for the cast. Just know that the legend is only beginning, and the wait for the rest will be a long and impatient one.