Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana: Part 1 draws criticism from the right
Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana: Part 1 draws its harshest criticism from the right, says one review, as Ram Gopal Varma puts its cost under Rs 800 crore.
Livefeed News DeskUpdated · 3 min read
Quick answer
Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana: Part 1, with Ranbir Kapoor as Ram, has drawn its harshest criticism from the right-wing ecosystem, according to The News Minute, which calls the film cautious to a fault. Separately, Ram Gopal Varma has claimed the first part cost less than Rs 800 crore, a figure not officially confirmed.
Key facts
- Ramayana: Part 1 is directed by Nitesh Tiwari, with Ranbir Kapoor as Ram and Yash as Ravana.
- The News Minute says the harsher criticism of the film has come from the right-wing political ecosystem.
- Ram Gopal Varma claims the first instalment was made for less than Rs 800 crore.
- Varma expects the second part could earn 10 times more than the first.
- The Economist calls Ramayana India's biggest film.
What critics are saying about Ramayana: Part 1
Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana: Part 1, starring Ranbir Kapoor as Ram, is being criticised from two directions, according to a critique published by The News Minute on 13 November 2026. The piece argues that the sharpest attacks have come not from liberal viewers but from the right-wing political ecosystem, which has long treated the epic as India's moral “truth”.
The News Minute describes the adaptation as calculated and cautious, built to avoid any detour that might offend devotees or stir controversy. In doing so, the writer argues, the film gives up the freedom to complicate inherited truths, and ends up pleasing neither camp.
The Economist described Ramayana in a headline as India's biggest film, one that turns a Hindu god into a star.
Why the criticism comes from both sides
According to the critique, viewers on the liberal side have found the absence of explicit right-wing messaging disarming, and their complaints are mostly about acting, visual language and effects.
Critics on the right expect more, the piece says. It links their expectations to the Supreme Court's 2019 verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute and the subsequent installation of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, arguing that any screen version of the epic must now meet that ecosystem's demands.
The writer says Tiwari does offer that audience a “detached, expressionless, ever-righteous Ram” who embodies godliness from childhood, but that this has not been enough. The News Minute calls this a trap of the industry's own making: having helped turn cinema into an instrument of ideological conformity, filmmakers now struggle to satisfy the very people they set out to appease.
How the film tells the story
The film opens with the war between the devtas and the asuras. Driven underground by Indra, the asuras suffer for centuries until Ravana, played by Yash, restores their dignity. A large share of the running time follows Ravana from boyhood to adulthood, when he becomes lord of all three worlds.
That origin story has become a point of contention for many viewers, the critique says, because Ravana stands out against a “carefully sanitised, prim and proper” Ram. Kapoor's Ram is given little inner life until late in the film, when, vulnerable and shaken, he asks what the purpose of his birth is.
Ram Gopal Varma's budget claim
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has weighed in on the much-discussed budget of Namit Malhotra's two-part epic, claiming the first instalment was made for less than Rs 800 crore, The Times of India reported. He also said the second part could earn 10 times more than the first, citing the scale of its upcoming action sequences.
Varma's figure is his own claim. None of the reports cited here carries an official budget from the makers.
Frequently asked questions
Who directed Ramayana: Part 1 and who stars in it?
Nitesh Tiwari directed the film, with Ranbir Kapoor as Ram and Yash as Ravana.
What is the budget of Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana?
Ram Gopal Varma has claimed the first part was made for less than Rs 800 crore. The makers have not confirmed a figure in the reports cited here.
Why is Ramayana: Part 1 being criticised?
The News Minute says the film is so cautious that it pleases neither side, with the harshest criticism coming from the right-wing ecosystem. Liberal viewers have focused more on acting, visuals and effects.
Will there be a Ramayana Part 2?
Yes, Ramayana is a two-part epic, and Ram Gopal Varma believes the second part could earn 10 times more than the first.
