Ramayana Part 1 first reviews out: Grand, ambitious and...check honest audience reactions

New Delhi: Filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari's upcoming mega 2-part project - Ramayana is set to release on November 5, ahead of the big Diwali festival. However, the team held a special screening of the magnum opus in Los Angeles and the first reviews are already out. Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash and Nitesh Tiwari among others were present at the grand premiere of Ramayana, held at the David Geffen Theatre at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Ramayana movie first reviews

A few early birds have already watched the epic saga and took to social media and shared their reviews. Netizens hailed the venture for his grandeur and VFX imagery. Take a look at what honest audience reactions are after watching Ramayana in LA:

One person wrote: A hugely ambitious film mounted on a grand scale, and the effort behind it is clearly visible. The team largely stays true to the Ramayana, but the film leans more on spectacle and action than drama and emotion, leaving parts of the narration feeling flat and even serial like at times. The second half also drags in places because of where Part 1 chooses to end, with limited material stretched out through lengthy action blocks that don’t create much impact

 Another tweet read: #Ramayana's 1st official review is out, and it's a BLOCKBUSTER!  The people who have watched it are completely blown away by the visuals, story, and performances. They haven't felt something like this in decades.

Noted film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh took to X (formerly called Twitter) and shared: 

About Ramayana

Ramayana is one of the biggest films of Indian cinema, bringing one of the greatest epics to life with Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Sai Pallavi, Sunny Deol, and Ravie Dubey in the lead roles. Helmed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana Part 1 is slated for release on Diwali 2026, and the second part on Diwali 2027.

Ramayana Part 1 brings an enduring epic story which goes back in time - the Trinity Gods rule the three worlds: Brahma - god who creates; Vishnu - god who protects; and Shiva - god who transforms. As the realms of heaven and earth edge toward chaos, the Trinity god Vishnu descends to earth in an avatar to restore balance.  

The estimated budget of Ramayana is around Rs 4,000–4,800 crore ($420-500M).