Ram Gopal Varma calls Ramayana: Part 1 a landmark in Indian cinema, praising Nitesh Tiwari’s ambition, Yash’s performance as Ravana, and the film's massive scale that rivals international productions without borrowing their visual language.
Ram Gopal Varma Praises Ramayana Part 1
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has heaped praise on 'Ramayana: Part 1' after watching it for the second time, describing it as a landmark in Indian cinema. Calling himself an atheist, Varma said his assessment was purely from a film-watcher's perspective and praised director Nitesh Tiwari, producer Namit Malhotra, Yash's portrayal of Ravana, Ranbir Kapoor's performance as Rama and the music by Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman.
Sharing the review on social media after watching the film for the second time, the ace director clarified that he was assessing it purely as a film enthusiast and not from a religious perspective, identifying himself as an atheist. "Watched #Ramayana for the 2nd time and incidentally I am an atheist and so this analysis is from a film watcher and not as a ram bhakt," he wrote on X.
Vision and Scale of the Epic
Praising director Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra for their ambition, Varma argued that the film's emotional impact lay in its enormous scale rather than in conventional storytelling elements that some reviewers had criticised. He said the filmmakers had taken a familiar epic and presented it on such a grand cinematic canvas that even some of Hollywood's biggest productions appeared like stage plays in comparison.
"NiteshTiwari22 and NamitMalhotra have achieved what no one in Indian cinema never even dreamt of.. They have taken the devotional Juice from a well known epic and placed it on a canvas that made me as a viewer feel , the greatest Hollywood films as stage plays," he said.
"The opening cosmic battle, Ravana’s ten heads materialising not as a gimmick but as a living expression of knowledge and internal conflicts, the forests that feel more creature like themselves than the creatures they host, and standing high above all the breath stopping climactic Jatayu sequence … these are not mere Vfx effects," he added.
Performance and Character Depth
Varma described the film as a significant achievement for Indian cinema, saying Malhotra had demonstrated what was possible with ambition and conviction. He also praised the film's visual effects and its attempt to create a cinematic experience rooted in India's own cultural and mythological stories rather than borrowing the visual language of international franchises such as 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'Avatar'.
"This is the first ever Indian film that can stand above each and every large scale international production with its head held high and with an immense pride . That’s because it does not borrow the language of the Lord of the Rings or Avatar . Instead it takes inspirations to dig into its own rich Indian backyard with the greatest ever stories which have been waiting to be excavated..Reviews might have given 2,3,5 whatever starts but I feel It’s an insult to india and it’s cinema to review this film The negative reviewers are looking at a mountain and complaining that the path is steep and uneven but that’s because they are too small in comparison to the garangutan architects who built this mountainous Taj Mahal of cinema," he wrote while praising the film.
Yash and Ranbir Kapoor's Performances
The filmmaker reserved particularly strong praise for Yash's portrayal of Ravana, calling it a performance that would remain memorable for decades. He said the actor had portrayed the character as a powerful individual shaped by penance, intelligence, devotion to Lord Shiva and ambition. According to Varma, the character's backstory, trauma and internal conflicts, written by Sridhar Raghavan, gave Ravana considerable depth. He particularly highlighted the sequence in which Ravana deliberates with his ten heads before deciding to abduct Sita, describing Yash's portrayal as a combination of clarity, intensity and magnetic screen presence.
"Every review that calls him the show stealer is correct, but what they missed is the larger picture that his portrayal made Ravana look like the gravitational centre of Rama. In short there’s no Rama without Ravana," Varma wrote.
He also defended Ranbir Kapoor's portrayal of Rama against criticism that the actor maintained largely similar expressions throughout the film. Varma argued that Rama's character was defined by restraint rather than overt emotional expression, pointing to his acceptance of exile, controlled aggression in the forest sequences and composed demeanour as examples of the difficulty of portraying the character. "Ram is defined by what he withholds and not by what he expresses," he wrote, adding that the character's principles were as significant as his physical actions.
Music and Direction
Varma also praised the musical collaboration between Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman, saying the composers complemented the film's visuals instead of competing with them. He appreciated the background score, particularly the music accompanying the Tandav sequences and aerial combat, while noting that the songs maintained the narrative momentum of the three-hour epic.
Addressing criticism over the film's length and pacing, Varma said the runtime was necessary to establish the scale of Ravana's character and portray Rama's exile without reducing important developments to a montage. He also praised Tiwari for maintaining the story's moral stakes instead of turning it into a conventional masala action drama. According to Varma, the film had the potential to connect with family audiences, youngsters, Gen Z viewers and audiences in smaller towns. "The so called length is very necessary because one cannot establish Ravana’s scale and then compress Ram’s exile into just a highlight reel without losing the predicament of an impending inevitability . I love Tiwari because he refuses to cheapen the moral stakes and turn the story into a masala action drama and the result of that conviction of his is a film that can be watched by families , youngsters , Gen Z etc etc and still hit the front benchers of the small and tiny towns," he shared.
Watched #Ramayana for the 2nd time and incidentally I am an atheist and so this analysis is from a film watcher and not as a ram bhakt While other reviews grudgingly note its scale and then hedge with “but the soul is missing” or “music could be better ,” etc , what they are missing is that the soul is in the scale and the emotion is in the humongous ambition of all the wonderfully talented people behind the making of this film @NiteshTiwari22 and @NamitMalhotra have achieved what no one in Indian cinema never even dreamt of.. They have taken the devotional Juice from a well known epic and placed it on a canvas that made me as a viewer feel , the greatest Hollywood films as stage plays. The opening cosmic battle, Ravana’s ten heads materialising not as a gimmick but as a living expression of knowledge and internal conflicts, the forests that feel more creature like themselves than the creatures they host , and standing high above all the breath stopping climactic Jatayu sequence … these are not mere Vfx effects. They are actually galactic events of the future brightness of Indian cinematic cosmos This is Namit Malhotra’s slap on the faces and a kick in the crotches of Bollywoodians to wake them up from their lazy slumberness to show them what all is possible it there’s a will @TheNameisYash ‘s Ravana is not a performance of the year, but it is of many decades .. I say that because I simply can’t remember anything I ever saw with his kind of a electrifying effect ever since I started watching cinema He does not play a villain. He plays a man who has earned his power through penance, intelligence, and a refusal to bow .. The backstory the trauma, the devotion to Shiva, the ambition that becomes a prison , brilliantly written by #SridharRaghavan has been enacted with a combination of both a crystal clear clarity along with a monstrous force of reaching far beyond an objective destination so colourfully displayed with magnetic precision when he intrinsically ponders with his ten heads before taking the decision of kidnapping Sita .. Every review that calls him the show stealer is correct, but what they missed is the larger picture that his portrayal made Ravana look like the gravitational centre of Rama In short there’s no Rama without Ravana Ranbir Kapoor’s Ram is the necessary counterweight against the worldly evils which anyway was the whole point of his godly status Critics who wanted constant emoting from Ranbir saying he’s got same expression throughout are flmissing the point that Ram is defined by what he withholds and not by what he expresses His quiet acceptance of the exile, his controlled violence in the forest sequences, his stillness that so wonderfully contained an absolute certainty is the hardest thing to play for an actor because when he finally acts , it’s not his arrows alone which find their mark , but more than that its his principles which pierce What I loved about @HansZimmer and @arrahman is that they did not compete with the imagery but they rather flowed with it. The score does not try to reinvent devotion. It just amplifies the existing mass of the specific emotion and more importantly pin points the choices of its characters .. Songs that feel “functional” to some critics are doing the correct job because they do not interrupt the momentum of a three hour epic that is slowly building towards a confrontation The Tandav energy and the aerial combat cues strike hard with a never before seen or experienced force. In a film this large, restraint in the music is not a lay back , but It is a volatile high energy concoction of discipline and strategy In my not so humble opinion what the negative reviews state as problems are actually the film’s real strengths. The so called length is very necessary because one cannot establish Ravana’s scale and then compress Ram’s exile into just a highlight reel without losing the predicament of an impending inevitability . I love Tiwari because he refuses to cheapen the moral stakes and turn the story into a masala action drama and the result of that conviction of his is a film that can be watched by families , youngsters , Gen Z etc etc and still hit the front benchers of the small and tiny towns . This is the first ever Indian film that can stand above each and every large scale international production with its head held high and with an immense pride . That’s because it does not borrow the language of the Lord of the Rings or Avatar . Instead it takes inspirations to dig into its own rich Indian backyard with the greatest ever stories which have been waiting to be excavated Reviews might have given 2,3,5 whatever starts but I feel It’s an insult to india and it’s cinema to review this film The negative reviewers are looking at a mountain and complaining that the path is steep and uneven but that’s because they are too small in comparison to the garangutan architects who built this mountainous Taj Mahal of cinema Ramayana: Part 1 is the opening statement of a new standard for Indian cinema and whatever film will be made after November 5 th will now be measured against it , and the only thing which will destroy Ramayana part 1 will be Ramayana part 2 🙏🙏🙏 — Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) November 11, 2026
Calling it a production that could stand alongside major international films, he said its strength lay in drawing from India's own rich storytelling traditions. Concluding his review, Varma described 'Ramayana: Part 1' as the beginning of a new standard for Indian cinema and said subsequent films would be measured against it. "Ramayana: Part 1 is the opening statement of a new standard for Indian cinema and whatever film will be made after November 5 th will now be measured against it , and the only thing which will destroy Ramayana part 1 will be Ramayana part 2 ," he wrote.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, 'Ramayana: Part 1' is the first instalment of a two-part cinematic adaptation of the ancient Indian epic.The film features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. Anupam Kher voices Jatayu, the divine bird who plays a pivotal role in the narrative by attempting to rescue Sita from Ravana's abduction. Others in key roles are Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, and Rakul Preet Singh. (ANI)
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