The makers of "Ramayana: Part 1" have submitted the film for consideration at the 99th Academy Awards, putting Nitesh Tiwari's mythological epic into the Oscars race less than a week after its theatrical release.
NDTV first reported the development on Tuesday evening, saying it had exclusively learnt that the film had been submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The news was quickly picked up by outlets in India and the Gulf, and it places one of the biggest Indian films of the year in contention for the world's most prestigious film honours.
The submission comes even though Marathi film "Gondhal" has been selected as India's official entry in the International Feature Film category. The two developments are not mutually exclusive: a country's official entry does not prevent other films from independently seeking consideration in different categories, provided they meet the Academy's eligibility requirements.
For the main categories, including Best Picture, a film must satisfy the Academy's qualifying theatrical release rules, including a run of at least seven consecutive days in an eligible US city. The Academy has set 12 November 2026 as the deadline for general entry submissions for the 99th Oscars, so the makers' move comes just in time. A submission, however, does not guarantee a nomination: the Academy's members must still vote the film onto the shortlist and then the final list of nominees.
"Ramayana" is not the only Indian film pursuing the Academy through an independent route. Naga-language film "Angh" has also qualified for consideration after winning the Platform Award at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, adding to a crowded Indian presence in this year's race.
The Oscars move caps a remarkable opening week for the film. Released worldwide on 5 November, "Ramayana: Part 1" has collected more than Rs403.95 crore net in India and approximately Rs673.90 crore worldwide as of day six, according to box office tracking. It has already become the first Indian film to top the UK and Ireland box office, and it crossed Rs500 crore worldwide within four days of release.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana, in a retelling of the ancient epic mounted on a scale rarely attempted in Indian cinema. First-day audiences were divided over the film, but praise for its scale, score and the Jatayu climax carried it through a record-breaking opening weekend.
The question now is whether awards voters respond to the film in the same way audiences have. Indian films have rarely broken through in the Academy's main categories, and the competition this year will be fierce. But the submission itself is a statement of ambition from the makers, who are betting that a film already rewriting box office records can also make its presence felt beyond the Indian box office.
With the general entry deadline falling on Thursday, the coming days will bring a clearer picture of the full field. For "Ramayana", the journey from a record-breaking theatrical run to an Oscars campaign has already begun, and its makers will be watching closely when the Academy announces its shortlists in the weeks ahead.
