Nitesh Tiwari gets emotional at Ramayana first glimpse launch; Namit Malhotra promises to 'do justice to the epic'

Ramayana director Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra spoke about the film's scale and scope at its first glimpse launch in Mumbai on Thursday.

The first glimpse of India's biggest film - Ramayana - was launched on Thursday morning across various cities in India. The unveiling of the 3-minute first glimpse (not a teaser as many have dubbed it) was done in 3D IMAX in Mumbai in the presence of the film's director, Nitesh Tiwari, and producer, Namit Malhotra.

Nitesh Tiwari and Namit Malhotra at the Ramayana first glimpse launch event in Mumbai.

After the video was screened to loud cheers from journalists and fans alike, the two creators of the film briefly addressed the gathering. The first glimpse was preceded by video messages from Namit and Nitesh, who apologised for not being physically present there. Poking fun at that, Nitesh said, "It is fate that our shoot ended one day early and we are here. Otherwise, we would have been at the shoot." The filming of Ramayana Part 1 was wrapped on Tuesday, with Ranbir Kapoor, who plays Lord Ram, celebrating with the team.

Nitesh Tiwari talks about aim with Ramayana

At the launch of the first glimpse, Nitesh Tiwari got a little emotional when asked what he hoped his film could achieve. "I'll react not as a director but as an audience, because I am also an avid movie watcher. For me, the most important thing is the emotions and the pride for the great cultural heritage in our country. If we can evoke that and show it to the whole world that this is what we stand for, to me, that would be an achievement. That is something I hope we can do," he said.

Producer Namit Malhotra echoed the sentiments of his director when he called it 'a moment of disbelief'. The filmmaker added, "I can't believe that we are sharing this with the world. It has been a very long dream that we have collaborated on. We put our hearts and lives into this, so we could do justice to this epic. My only aspiration is with pride, how do we take our great culture, our great history and share it with the world? I want all of us Indians to stand there proud, not just celebrating this for ourselves, but also to be able to share it at the greatest level when we take it to the world."

Namit Malhotra on Ramayana's scale

Ramayana is not the first big-screen adaptation of one of the most beloved Indian epics. The film has been adapted quite famously by Ramanand Sagar for TV, and almost as 'notoriously' by Om Raut as Adipurush, the 2023 box office bomb that was heavily criticised. The film was panned for being disrespectful towards the source material and ignited a huge controversy. Perhaps the question that was on everyone's minds, producer Namit Malhotra said at the event, unprovoked: "We are working incredibly hard and we will leave no stone unturned to make sure we do justice to the epic and we deliver the very best that anybody in the world can imagine."

Ramayana is a two-part film with Part 1 releasing on Diwali 2026 and Part 2 hitting the screens on Diwali 2027. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Yash as Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ravie Dubey as Laxman, and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman. The film marks Hollywood legend Hans Zimmer's debut in Indian cinema as he partners with AR Rahman for the score.