Ramayana Trailer Review: No Hanuman, Yash's Ravana Shines, Fans Debate Ranbir Kapoor's Ram

The wait is over. The trailer of Ramayana has finally arrived, giving fans a grand first look at Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram and Yash as Ravana. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the two part epic is reportedly made on a Rs 4,000 crore budget and promises a spectacular blend of emotion, action and world class visual effects.

The four minute trailer follows Ram's journey from Ayodhya to his 14 year exile with Sita, played by Sai Pallavi, and Lakshman, played by Ravie Dubey. After Surpanakha, portrayed by Rakul Preet Singh, is humiliated, Ravana kidnaps Sita, setting up the legendary battle between good and evil. One of the biggest talking points is the complete absence of Sunny Deol's Hanuman, despite him playing the iconic role. The makers have not revealed the reason, but many believe the character is being saved for a later promotional campaign or the film itself.

The cast also includes Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Ajinkya Deo as Vishwamitra and Kunal Kapoor as Lord Indra. The screenplay is written by Shridhar Raghavan, while Oscar winners A R Rahman and Hans Zimmer have composed the music. The film is backed by Prime Focus Studios, DNEG and Yash's Monster Mind Creations.

The trailer has received a huge response online, with viewers praising its scale, visual effects, music and Yash's commanding performance as Ravana. However, reactions to the casting have been mixed. One viewer shared that, in their opinion, none of the actors completely fit the mythological characters they portray, except Yash, whose Ravana felt perfectly suited to the role. The fan also said that if the film fails, it would largely be because Ranbir Kapoor's dialogue delivery and portrayal of Lord Ram do not match the character's divine presence. According to the viewer, the makers appeared to have invested more effort in building Ravana's character, making him the standout figure in the trailer. Others, however, argued that it is too early to judge the performances from a four minute trailer alone.

Ramayana: Part One releases worldwide on Diwali 2026, while Part Two is scheduled for Diwali 2027.