Director Nitesh Tiwari embarks on an extraordinarily ambitious cinematic journey with Ramayana: Part One, translating India’s ancient mythological epic into a grand, 200-minute big-screen experience starring Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana. The film establishes its cosmic scale immediately by opening with Lords Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, devoting a significant portion of its first act to Ravana’s rise to power, intense penance, and cosmic dominance. This narrative focus works brilliantly largely due to KGF star Yash, who delivers an imposing, magnetic performance as Ravana—crafted with arrogance, ambition, and physical presence—further elevated by Sharad Kelkar’s masterful Hindi dubbing. However, this extended showcase creates a narrative imbalance when shifting focus to Rama, where Ranbir Kapoor portrays the ideal prince with restrained duty that occasionally borders on being single-note and emotionally distant until the closing scenes. Sai Pallavi brings warmth and grace to Sita, though her character is left with limited narrative depth, while Ravie Dubey serves as a pleasant surprise, infusing Lakshman with understated humor and protective loyalty. Visually, cinematographers Mahesh Limaye and Pankaj Kumar create rich compositions, expansive battlefields, and elaborate set designs; yet, the visual effects remain inconsistent, with impressive practical scale offset by artificial-looking CGI creatures. The film’s magnificent musical collaboration between Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman stands out as a core highlight, driving spiritual depth and dramatic impact, especially during the emotional pre-interval vanvas exile sequence. Ultimately, while Nitesh Tiwari and co-writer Shridhar Raghavan deliver a breathtaking visual spectacle packed with mythological action, the fast-paced screenplay occasionally sacrifices intimate human relationships and emotional resonance in favor of grand cinematic scale, leaving Yash’s commanding antagonist as the film’s undeniable standout element.
