Ramayana: Rise of a Legend Review: Grand Scale, Uneven Execution

This Ramayana: Rise of a Legend review looks at the first half of Nitesh Tiwari's two-part retelling of one of India's best-loved stories. It is a big, expensive fantasy built for the largest screens. Early reviews are mixed, and that split is easy to understand.

Ramayana: Rise of a Legend Review: The Story So Far (No Spoilers)

The Ramayana plot starts with a young prince and princess. Their marriage, and the exile that follows, set a legendary journey in motion. Love, duty and destiny drive the early chapters.

The film centres on Rama, a prince shaped by sacrifice, and Ravana, an immortal king fuelled by vengeance. A prophecy ties their fates together. This is Part 1, so it works as groundwork for what comes next rather than a self-contained story.

Tiwari co-wrote the script with Shridhar Raghavan. Together they take a faithful, reverent approach to the source material. The tagline, "Our truth. Our history," tells you how seriously the film takes its job.

What Works in Ramayana: Rise of a Legend

The scale is the main draw. Several critics praised the visuals, and one called it a great-looking epic worth seeing on the biggest screen possible. Screen Rant gave it 7/10 and described it as an impressive technical achievement.

At 195 minutes, the film has room to build a world. The fantasy and adventure elements give the story a grand, mythic feel. Fans of the genre will find plenty to admire in the production design.

• Large-scale, ambitious visuals designed for cinema screens

• A story with deep cultural weight and a clear emotional core

• A strong antagonist presence that early viewers singled out

If you like epics, our Fantasy movie reviews and Adventure movie reviews pages have more to explore.

Ramayana: Rise of a Legend Cast and Performances

The Ramayana: Rise of a Legend cast is led by Ranbir Kapoor, who plays Prince Ram and also appears as Parshuram and Lord Vishnu. Sai Pallavi plays Sita, and Ravi Dubey is Lakshman. Arun Govil appears as King Dashrath, and Rakul Preet Singh plays Surpanakha.

Yash plays Ravana, and early social-media reactions picked out his performance above the rest. Villains in epics can steal the show, and the buzz suggests he does.

Not every critic was convinced. Some Rotten Tomatoes reviews described the acting as wooden. That points to a divide between reverent, formal delivery and the more natural performances some viewers expect.

Where Ramayana: Rise of a Legend Stumbles

The harshest notices focus on craft. IGN gave the film a 4 and cited clunky action, weak CGI and awkward AI lip-syncing. Those are serious complaints for a film that sells itself on spectacle.

Pacing is the other recurring issue. Critics called the story long-winded, and some said the emotional beats land weakly. Next Best Picture gave it 5/10 and argued it suffers from the usual sins of being a part one.

Metacritic lists a Metascore of 56 from four reviews, marked "Mixed or Average." The sample is small, so treat it as an early signal. The film has not had its wide release yet. You can read the Screen Rant review for a more positive take.

Is Ramayana: Rise of a Legend Worth Watching?

Yes, if you are a fan of the epic or of large-scale fantasy, and you can see it on a big screen. The visuals and the story's cultural weight carry a lot of the experience. Just expect an unfinished chapter and some rough technical patches.

If you want tight pacing and polished effects above all, the early reviews suggest you may be frustrated. The film's reception is split almost evenly between admiration and disappointment. Knowing that going in should help you set your expectations.

The Ramayana release date is listed as 6 November 2026 in our data. One source says theatrical release is 5 November, so check local listings. For more action-led epics, browse our Action movie reviews.

Who Will Enjoy Ramayana: Rise of a Legend

• Viewers who love the Ramayana and want a lavish screen version

• Fans of Ranbir Kapoor and Yash, and of Nitesh Tiwari's directing

• Audiences who enjoy mythic fantasy and adventure and can forgive a slow, setup-heavy first part