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Namit Malhotra says Ramayana precedes global epics like The Lord of the Rings and Avatar: ‘Same sense of scale’
Ramayana producer Namit Malhotra explained how the film stands ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ with Hollywood films like The Lord of the Rings and Avatar.
Namit Malhotra's Ramayana, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, is easily the most ambitious Indian film ever made. Namit had earlier said that Part 1 and Part 2 are being mounted on a budget of ₹4000 crore. In a new conversation with Collider, Namit has now shared that Ramayana falls in the same line as huge spectacle films and franchises like The Lord of the Rings and Avatar.
What Namit said
During the chat, Namit said, “It is not just India; this is a production that maps any big, large-scale project in the world at this time. So it is fair to say that we are shoulder to shoulder with anything out there. That being said, whether it's Lord of the Rings or Avatar, it is important to note that Ramayana actually precedes a lot of these global IPs and global epics.”
He continued, “For us, bringing this story to life in front of the world… it is an absolute must that everything we do is woven into the narrative and story of the spectacle. It's meant to give you the same sense of scale and epic like The Lord of the Rings, but it's supposed to have the same heart and the same journey as Avatar. Because the word Avatar comes from an Indian word ‘Avtar’, which is exactly what Lord Ram is, he is the Avtar of Lord Vishnu. That is the story of Ramayana, so it speaks to the epics that were mentioned; it is very fundamental to the structure of what Ramayana actually is.”
About Ramayana
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana is intended to be a two-part film with Part 1 releasing on Diwali 2026 and Part 2 in 2027. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Yash as Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman, and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. The film's score sees AR Rahman collaborate with the legendary Hans Zimmer, making his Bollywood debut.
The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy of epic fantasy films directed by Peter Jackson. The films are based on the novel The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien. Set in the fictional world of Middle-earth, the films follow the hobbit Frodo Baggins as he and the Company of the Ring embark on a quest to destroy the One Ring to defeat its maker, the Dark Lord Sauron.
Meanwhile, James Cameron's Avatar franchise has released three films so far: Avatar (2009), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), and Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025). The franchise is planned as a five-movie saga, with Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 scheduled for release in 2029 and 2031, respectively.
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