Ramayana first screening has US viewers raving about 'monstrous VFX, rooted storytelling' of Ranbir Kapoor, Yash film

A test screening of the first cut of Ranbir Kapoor and Yash's Ramayana Part One was reportedly held in Los Angeles earlier this week.

Ramayana Part One, set for release later this year, is easily the biggest Bollywood film ever made. In terms of budget, scale, and ambition, the epic film is one of the most anticipated titles in the Bollywood release slate this year. And even though it is still eight months away from release, the post-production work has begun. A new report has claimed the first test screening of the film was held in the USA recently to a largely positive response.

The Ramayana first glimpse was officially unveiled on July 3.

Ramayana first cut screened for test audiences

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana is a two-part adaptation of Valmiki’s epic poem, considered one of the most recognised and adapted texts from India. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Yash as Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman. The filming for Part One wrapped up last year, and the post-production and VFX work is currently underway. Amid this, The Week recently reported that the film’s team held a test screening of the first cut for select audiences in Los Angeles.

Viewers praise film's scale and storytelling

The publication reported that the first-ever screening of Ramayana was held in Los Angeles, at the Cinemark Playa Vista on Monday, February 23. The audience for the special show included people ranging from age 18 to 60. The report added that early reports from the special screening are ‘extremely positive’, and the viewers praised ‘the gargantuan scale of the film and monstrous visual effects apart from the rooted storytelling’. The screening is meant as a test to tell the filmmakers if they are on the right track with the film’s post-production. The version screened is merely the first cut and will be refined further in the months to come.

Ramayana Part One is set to release worldwide in October 2026, ahead of Diwali. This gives the makers ample time to fine-tune the film. The film’s VFX are handled by DNEG, the eight-time Oscar-winning studio that has worked on films like Dune and Interstellar. The film’s global appeal is further enhanced by the fact that legendary composer Hans Zimmer joins AR Rahman for the music score.

Ramayana films are produced by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studio. The film's first glimpse was unveiled in July last year. It is being billed as the most expensive Indian film ever made, even as the exact estimate of the budget for the two films remains unclear, with reports stating numbers between $200-400 million.