Ramayana: Part One draws Bollywood’s biggest names to Mumbai premiere ahead of November 5 release
Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Sunny Deol and Neetu Kapoor attended the star-studded Mumbai premiere of Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Part One, which releases worldwide on November 5 with global advance bookings already past Rs1.15 billion.
Bollywood's biggest names gathered in Mumbai on Tuesday night for the star-studded premiere of Ramayana: Part One, as Nitesh Tiwari's long-awaited mythological epic prepared for its worldwide theatrical release on Thursday, 5 November 2026.
Lead actor Ranbir Kapoor attended the premiere alongside Alia Bhatt, Neetu Kapoor, Sunny Deol and Vivek Oberoi, among a large section of the Indian film industry, in an evening that underlined the scale of expectation around a film that has been years in the making and months in the headlines.
The film casts Ranbir Kapoor as Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Kannada star Yash as Ravana and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, in a retelling of the ancient Indian epic that the makers have planned as a two-part cinematic saga. Part One releases on 5 November 2026, ahead of the Diwali season, with Part Two scheduled to follow at Diwali 2027.
It is directed by Nitesh Tiwari, known for Dangal and Chhichhore, and produced by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios in association with DNEG, the eight-time Academy Award-winning visual effects studio, and Yash's Monster Mind Creations. The involvement of DNEG has been central to the film's pitch: a mythological world built with cutting-edge visual effects rather than the stage-bound look of earlier screen adaptations.
The Mumbai premiere followed a first premiere in Los Angeles on 27 October 2026, and a series of global previews that have built momentum ahead of release. A press screening was also scheduled in Mumbai on 4 November, ahead of the film's official Indian theatrical rollout, as the makers moved from private showcases to public release.
Commercially, the film is already setting benchmarks before a single public ticket has been torn. As of 3 November, global advance bookings for the opening weekend had crossed 1.15 billion rupees, or 115 crore rupees, according to trade figures reported by several outlets, with overseas pre-sales alone crossing 400 million rupees. The numbers reflect both the film's pan-India casting and its release across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam markets.
The premiere itself was as much a family and industry occasion as a launch event. Alia Bhatt and Neetu Kapoor were among the most photographed arrivals, cheering on Ranbir Kapoor as he prepares to bring Lord Rama to the screen, while Sunny Deol, who plays a pivotal role in the ensemble, joined the celebrations alongside other cast members and guests.
For Tiwari, the release is a test of a different kind from his earlier, contemporary dramas. Ramayana carries the weight of a story known to hundreds of millions of viewers, where casting, dialogue and visual choices are judged against a shared cultural memory as much as against other films. The two-part structure gives the first film room to establish its world, but it also means Part One will be judged on whether audiences leave wanting the second chapter.
The timing is deliberate. A Diwali-season release places Ramayana in the year's most competitive window for Indian cinema, when families traditionally head to theatres together, and when a film with cross-generational appeal can draw audiences that a narrower release might miss. The advance booking figures suggest that strategy is already paying off.
What happens from Thursday is now in the audience's hands. The premiere has done its work, the advance sales have set a high bar, and the film's fate will be decided by word of mouth in its first weekend, when the year's most anticipated Indian epic finally meets the public it was made for.
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