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Namit Malhotra responds to India vs US launch debate after Ramayana teaser release: ‘Don’t divide’
On Thursday, Namit Malhotra joined Nitesh Tiwari in Mumbai to unveil Ramayana’s teaser, offering audiences a first glimpse of Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama.
Actor Ranbir Kapoor recently flew to the US to unveil the teaser of Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana ahead of its India launch, a move that quickly stirred debate across social media, with many questioning the strategy behind the overseas reveal. Now, producer Namit Malhotra has addressed the chatter, urging people not to be divisive.
Namit Malhotra reacts
On Thursday, Namit joined director Nitesh in Mumbai to unveil the film’s teaser, offering audiences a first glimpse of Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama. Following the unveiling, Namit opened up about the film and explained the decision to premiere Ramayana’s teaser in Los Angeles and New York ahead of its India launch, according to India Today.
Addressing the discussion around hosting the teaser launch overseas, Namit said, “Don’t divide. This is not the time to be divisive. The Indian in the America are thanking and appreciating (us for having an event in the US), you need to understand the emotion of the Indian people over there.”
Last week, Ranbir, along with director Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra, attended events for their upcoming film Ramayana in Los Angeles and New York.
Namit also stressed the film’s global intent, mentioning, “There are Indians all over the world. We should not be divisive; that’s where we go wrong on Ramayana. There’s no division, it’s one world, one Ramayana and one Rama. The idea is to show it to the entire world. How do we bring awareness? Every Indian knows it (about Ramayana).”
Namit shared that he wants to make sure “that everybody should know about Ramayana. It’s harder for us in the middle of the shoot to stop work and go and meet people and spread awareness; we are not selling tickets”. He added that he wants to take Ramayana to the world.
Nitesh also addressed why India did not host the first big event, saying, “I’ll pass on the message (to the producer).”
On Thursday, the ‘Rama glimpse’ of Ramayana, Nitesh Tiwari’s adaptation of the epic, was unveiled on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti. The teaser introduced Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama. The teaser was launched in eight cities across India, with the director Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra themselves present at the Mumbai launch.
About Ramayana
Ramayana is a two-part film mounted on a massive budget of ₹4000 crore, making it not only the most expensive film ever produced in India but also one of the costliest film projects globally.
The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Yash as Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman, and Ravie Dubey as Lakhsman. The Rama glimpse focused only on Lord Rama but also gave fleeting glimpses at other characters, including Lakshman and Sita. The teaser also showed Yash’s Ravana getting out his fabled flying machine, Pushpak Vimana, at the end. The unveiling has sparked a mixed response on social media.
Ramayana features music by Oscar-winning composers Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman. Ramayana Part One is slated to release in theatres in October 2026, with the second part arriving in 2027.
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