Media Boycott Promoted Event for Film 'Ramayana' Featuring Ranbir Kapoor Due to Delays

After posting a critique of the approach to depicting characters from mythological stories in recent films, actress Kangana Ranaut has sparked rumors that she is commenting on the forthcoming film 'Ramayana' starring Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi.

On Friday, the actress and Member of Parliament from the Bharatiya Janata Party shared a video clip from an old religious film. Along with this, she highly praised the way mythological plots were depicted in old cinema and criticized the use of modern clothing in recent films based on religious figures.

In her Instagram account, Kangana Ranaut wrote under the video: 'The more access people have to technology, the further they move away. We watch recent movies about God where characters who lived thousands of years ago are dressed in clothes resembling modern television series. It gives the impression that designers do not pay attention to the descriptions given in the scriptures. Whereas decades ago, without any visual effects or CGI, the masters of cinematography worked strictly according to the descriptions given in the scriptures. Look at the results, Jai Menaxi Amma.'

In her post, Kangana did not mention 'Ramayana' or any of its actors. However, after the release of the trailer for Nitesh Tiwari's upcoming 'Ramayana', when debates arose over the costumes and stylization of some characters, speculations began online based on her words.

Social media discussions revolve around the looks of Sai Pallavi as Sita and Laura Datta as Kaikeyi. Some users questioned the modern styling of the costumes, while others compared some looks to those shown in mythological TV shows.

Costume designers Rimple and Harpreet Narula commented on this criticism and explained the creative concept behind the film's costumes. They stated that these designs were created considering the cultural context, production needs, and the scale of the project, rather than aiming for an exact reproduction of any historical attire from the Ramayana period.

The designers also mentioned the difficulty of presenting this Indian epic to a global audience and viewers worldwide. These statements came amid ongoing discussions about character stylization, including Sita and Kaikeyi.

This is not the first time Kangana has voiced criticism related to 'Ramayana'. In 2023, she expressed disappointment that Ranbir Kapoor was chosen to play the role of Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari's film. At that time, Kangana made several personal accusations and criticized Kapoor's suitability for the role. She also questioned his acting abilities in the role of Lord Shiva in the 'Brahmastra' franchise.

The highly anticipated film 'Ramayana,' starring Ranbir Kapoor and Yash Starer, continues to attract public attention leading up to its release. The first track, 'Jai Jai Ram,' released on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, is drawing particular discussion. In this spiritually rich song, Ranbir Kapoor portrays Lord Rama, and Sai Pallavi plays Mata Sita.

However, this track has revealed details about the plot that highlight Arijit Singh's uniqueness. To record 'Jai Jai Ram,' Arijit Singh worked through approximately 200 takes. Notably, he was not just recording the song but striving to deeply feel the spirituality and emotion of every attempt.

According to Pinkvilla, Arijit completely immersed himself in the spirituality of this track, exploring emotions with each take. It reached a point where he himself did not know when to stop. Ultimately, Arijit stopped thinking about the technical aspects of the song and fully surrendered to his feelings.

The song, which evokes a sense of reverence in viewers, was created because the singer himself completely dedicated himself to that feeling. 'Jai Jai Ram' is performed by Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal. This grand spiritual anthem was composed by AR Rahman, and the lyrics were written by Dr. Kumar Vishwas. Viewers are already very excited that Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama and Sai Pallavi plays Mata Sita. This track is also considered important as it is the first glimpse into the film's world.

Following the news of 200 takes by Arijit, interest in the song has increased. Although Arijit has announced his retirement and will complete all signed projects to take a break.

The film 'Ramayana,' directed by Nitish Tiwari, is produced by Namit Malhotra. The film will be released in two parts. The first part will appear in theaters worldwide on November 6, 2026, coinciding with the Diwali festival. The second part will be released in 2027.

In the film, Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama, and Sai Pallavi plays Mata Sita. Yash will play Ravana, Sunny Deol will play Lord Hanuman, and Ravi Dubey will play Lakshmana. Other important roles will be played by Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, and Vivek Oberoi.

Ranbir Kapoor does not only have 'Ramayana.' He will also appear in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film 'Love & War,' where Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal play the lead roles. The filming of this movie is complete, and it is expected to be released in theaters on January 21, 2027.

Currently, all attention is focused on 'Ramayana.' Although there is still some time before the film's release, the story of 'Jai Jai Ram' and Arijit Singh's 200 takes has already heightened the atmosphere around this film before its premiere.

The Bollywood industry is currently witnessing a contrast between two films. On one hand, 'Ramayana,' considered one of the most ambitious projects in Indian cinema, attracts attention due to the participation of major stars such as Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, and Sai Pallavi, as well as a huge budget. On the other hand, the film 'Hanuman ANSH,' made for only about 2 crore rupees, lacks superstars, a multi-billion dollar budget, or global support on par with Hollywood.

Nevertheless, the small picture demonstrated such success at the box office that it is now being discussed in the context of big-budget films.

'Hanuman ANSH,' inspired by the life of Neem Karoli Baba, initially showed slow pace at the box office, opening with approximately 10 lakhs. However, gradually audience interest grew, and box office collections began to rise rapidly. According to reports, the film collected around 193 crore rupees in 35 days. This means the film earned income approximately 96 times its budget, causing a stir in the film industry. Usually, a film's strength is considered to be major stars, a large budget, and active promotion, but 'Hanuman ANSH' refuted all these notions.

The main feature of 'Hanuman ANSH' was the absence of support from major Bollywood or South Indian cinema stars. The film is based on the spiritual journey of Neem Karoli Baba, and its strength lay in the story, faith, and word-of-mouth of the audience. Public interest in the picture grew so much that it earned around 61 crore rupees in the fourth week, maintaining good standing into the fifth week. Thus, the film did not rely on star power to attract an audience on day one, but gradually won the trust of the viewers.

On the other side is Nitesh Tiwari's 'Ramayana.' In this film, Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi plays Sita, and Yash plays Ravana. The film is planned to be released in two parts and was created keeping a global audience in mind. The budget of 4000 crore rupees caused the most resonance. However, the situation here is somewhat different: Yash clarified that 4000 crore covers not only the expenses for the first part but also the costs for the release and promotion of both parts, especially those related to global and Hollywood promotion. Therefore, calling it simply 'a production budget of 4000 crore for one film' is incorrect, but it is obvious that the stakes in 'Ramayana' are extremely high.

The real challenge for 'Ramayana' lies not in box office collections, but in expectations. Since 'Ramayana' has not yet been released, it would be premature to say that it failed to meet its budget. The first episode of the film is scheduled for release in November 2026. Nevertheless, the pressure on the film is palpable. When the figure of 4000 crore is attached to the picture, stars like Ranbir Kapoor and Yash appear, and we are talking about Hollywood-level visual effects and global distribution; audience expectations automatically increase. Now, for the film to succeed, it will not be enough just to be good; viewers will demand that the scale announced in the budget be visible on screen.

Social media reactions to the teasers and trailers of 'Ramayana' were mixed. Some viewers highly appreciated the scale and visual effects, while others questioned the VFX and characters. Even after the trailer's release, the image of Ravana by Yash and the role of Rama by Ranbir continued to be actively discussed. Despite the huge interest in the film, there is another problem—a mountain of expectations. It is here that 'Hanuman ANSH' unintentionally poses a difficult question to 'Ramayana.'

The box office success of 'Hanuman ANSH' sends a direct signal: audiences buy stories and emotions, not always the budget. If a film costing 2 crore rupees can approach 190 crore, this is not just a victory for a low-budget picture; it is a serious question to the idea that the bigger the budget, the higher the probability of success. In recent years, many examples of low-budget films achieving success have emerged, but the case of 'Hanuman ANSH' is unique because the film did not initially create much hype. It slowly won the hearts of the viewers and then secured its place at the box office.

Thus, 'Hanuman ANSH' is not exactly a direct competitor to 'Ramayana' in terms of box office, as the scale, budget, cast, and vision of these two films are completely different. However, an interesting confrontation has arisen between them on an ideological level. One film asserts: 'We have a scale of thousands of crores.' The other says: 'We only had a story, faith, and audience trust, and look where we got to.' The real test awaits 'Ramayana' after its premiere. If Ranbir's and Yash's film can connect its grand scale with the feelings of the viewers, then...