Director Ram Gopal Varma has shared his perspective on Nitesh Tiwari's mystical epic Ramayana: Rise of a Legend. He described the epic not merely as a traditional devotional film, but as an uncompromising devotional force.

A devotional force, not a devotional film

In his X review, Varma offered an impassioned message to the creators, advising them to dismiss detractors entirely. He wrote, "All in all I want to say this to each and everyone of all the greats who collaborated to make this great film is to treat any and all negative critics of this film as barking street dogs against the elephantine effort you all put in to create this magnifique piece of WONDER." He pointed at the visual and narrative ambition driving the cinematic adaptation, based on sage Valmiki's Ramayan and bhakti poet Goswami Tulsidas's epic poem, Ramcharitmanas. The Rangeela director also critiqued the intense performances and visceral directorial choices that set it apart from conventional retellings.

The hero is a man, not a blue god

Varma wrote, "The #Ramayana is not a devotional film. It is a devotional force. The hero is not a blue god floating above the story. He is a man who has already seen the end of the world and still willfully chooses to walk into it." Focusing on the character arcs, Varma added, "The rise is not of a kingdom. It is of a mind that challenges weakness. Every frame carries the weight of someone who has burned the old rules and is now moving only by the logic of power. The violence is not spectacle. It is the clarity of consequences."

Praise for Ranbir, Yash and Anupam Kher

Varma also shared his views on the formidable presence of Yash, observing that the actor does not play opposition, but embodies a mind that has already accepted what it decided to destroy. In the long confrontation before the final night, when Yash's character speaks to Ram across the open ground with no army between them, he does not raise his voice. He simply states the price, while his face never flinches and his body never shifts. The director highlighted a tense, army-free confrontation and praised veteran actor Anupam Kher's depiction of Jatayu, noting that the battle is not an act of mere loyalty. He emphasised how the character keeps charging forward with wings half broken and bloodied because his mind has not yet accepted what his body is telling it.

The film and its cast

Ramayana: Rise of a Legend features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Goddess Sita, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, Yash as Ravana, Rakul Preet Singh as Supranakha, Lara Dutta as queen Kaikeyi and Arun Govil as king Dashrath. The makers recently released the film's post-credits scene alongside a Hanuman Chalisa music video, introducing Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman. The film was released in theatres on November 5, 2026.