Ram Gopal Varma has watched Ranbir Kapoor’s Ramayana for the second time and is even more impressedThe filmmaker praised its grand visuals, Yash’s Ravana, Ranbir’s restrained performance, and the work of its makers
Published: November 11, 2026, 2:19 PM IST
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Ram Gopal Varma reviews Ramayana for the second time (PC: IMDb)
Ram Gopal Varma has watched Ranbir Kapoor’s Ramayana: Part 1 for the second time, and the filmmaker has returned with another lengthy reviewThis time, he has shared his thoughts on almost every major aspect of the film, from its opening cosmic battle and Ravana’s ten heads to the performances and background music, Ram Gopal Varma also clarified that he is an atheist and that his review comes from the perspective of a film watcher rather than a devotee of Lord RamaHe did not hold back while discussing the film’s scale and ambitionHe also addressed the criticism surrounding Ranbir Kapoor’s expressions and explained why he believes Yash’s portrayal of Ravana is one of the most memorable performances he has witnessed.
Ram Gopal Varma calls Ramayana a new benchmark for Indian cinema
Taking to X, Ram Gopal Varma began his post by revealing that he had watched Ramayana for the second timeHe disagreed with reviews that appreciated the film’s scale but questioned its emotional depth or music.
He wrote, “@NiteshTiwari22 and @NamitMalhotra have achieved what no one in Indian cinema never even dreamt of.They have taken the devotional Juice from a well known epic and placed it on a canvas that made me as a viewer feel , the greatest Hollywood films as stage plays.”
He added, “This is the first ever Indian film that can stand above each and every large scale international production with its head held high and with an immense pride
Watched #Ramayana for the 2nd time and incidentally I am an atheist and so this analysis is from a film watcher and not as a ram bhakt
While other reviews grudgingly note its scale and then hedge with “but the soul is missing” or “music could be better ,” etc , what they are missing is that the soul is in the scale and the emotion is in the humongous ambition of all the wonderfully talented people behind the making of this film@NiteshTiwari22 and @NamitMalhotra have achieved what no one in Indian cinema never even dreamt of.They have taken the devotional Juice from a well known epic and placed it on a canvas that made me as a viewer feel , the greatest Hollywood films as stage plays.
The opening cosmic battle, Ravana’s ten heads materialising not as a gimmick but as a living expression of knowledge and internal conflicts, the forests that feel more creature like themselves than the creatures they host , and standing high above all the breath stopping climactic Jatayu sequence … these are not mere Vfx effectsThey are actually galactic events of the future brightness of Indian cinematic cosmos
This is Namit Malhotra’s slap on the faces and a kick in the crotches of Bollywoodians to wake them up from their lazy slumberness to show them what all is possible it there’s a will
@TheNameisYash ‘s Ravana is not a performance of the year, but it is of many decades .I say that because I simply can’t remember anything I ever saw with his kind of a electrifying effect ever since I started watching cinema
He does not play a villainHe plays a man who has earned his power through penance, intelligence, and a refusal to bow .The backstory the trauma, the devotion to Shiva, the ambition that becomes a prison , brilliantly written by #SridharRaghavan has been enacted with a combination of both a crystal clear clarity along with a monstrous force of reaching far beyond an objective destination so colourfully displayed with magnetic precision when he intrinsically ponders with his ten heads before taking the decision of kidnapping Sita ..Every review that calls him the show stealer is correct, but what they missed is the larger picture that his portrayal made Ravana look like the gravitational centre of Rama
In short there’s no Rama without RavanaRanbir Kapoor’s Ram is the necessary counterweight against the worldly evils which anyway was the whole point of his godly status
Critics who wanted constant emoting from Ranbir saying he’s got same expression throughout are flmissing the point that Ram is defined by what he withholds and not by what he expresses
His quiet acceptance of the exile, his controlled violence in the forest sequences, his stillness that so wonderfully contained an absolute certainty is the hardest thing to play for an actor because when he finally acts , it’s not his arrows alone which find their mark , but more than that its his principles which pierce
What I loved about @HansZimmer and @arrahman is that they did not compete with the imagery but they rather flowed with itThe score does not try to reinvent devotionIt just amplifies the existing mass of the specific emotion and more importantly pin points the choices of its characters .Songs that feel “functional” to some critics are doing the correct job because they do not interrupt the momentum of a three hour epic that is slowly building towards a confrontation
The Tandav energy and the aerial combat cues strike hard with a never before seen or experienced force.
In a film this large, restraint in the music is not a lay back , but It is a volatile high energy concoction of discipline and strategy
In my not so humble opinion what the negative reviews state as problems are actually the film’s real strengths.
The so called length is very necessary because one cannot establish Ravana’s scale and then compress Ram’s exile into just a highlight reel without losing the predicament of an impending inevitability .
I love Tiwari because he refuses to cheapen the moral stakes and turn the story into a masala action drama and the result of that conviction of his is a film that can be watched by families , youngsters , Gen Z etc etc and still hit the front benchers of the small and tiny towns .This is the first ever Indian film that can stand above each and every large scale international production with its head held high and with an immense pride .
That’s because it does not borrow the language of the Lord of the Rings or Avatar Instead it takes inspirations to dig into its own rich Indian backyard with the greatest ever stories which have been waiting to be excavated
Reviews might have given 2,3,5 whatever starts but I feel It’s an insult to india and it’s cinema to review this film
The negative reviewers are looking at a mountain and complaining that the path is steep and uneven but that’s because they are too small in comparison to the garangutan architects who built this mountainous Taj Mahal of cinemaRamayana: Part 1 is the opening statement of a new standard for Indian cinema and whatever film will be made after November 5 th will now be measured against it , and the only thing which will destroy Ramayana part 1 will be Ramayana part 2
— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) November 11, 2026
That’s because it does not borrow the language of the Lord of the Rings or Avatar Instead it takes inspirations to dig into its own rich Indian backyard with the greatest ever stories which have been waiting to be excavated.”
He particularly mentioned the opening cosmic battle, Ravana’s ten heads appearing as an expression of his knowledge and inner conflicts, the forests and the climactic Jatayu sequenceHe described these moments as more than visual effects and praised the work as a major achievement for Indian cinema.
Varma also had strong words for the Bollywood industry, calling the film Namit Malhotra’s wake-up call to filmmakers who underestimate what Indian cinema can achieve with ambition and determination. He further argued that the film’s length was necessary to establish Ravana’s character and Rama’s exile properlyHe appreciated Tiwari for not turning the epic into a regular masala action entertainer.
Ram Gopal Varma praises Yash’s Ravana in Ramayana
One of the strongest parts of Ram Gopal Varma’s review was his appreciation for YashThe filmmaker said the actor’s portrayal of Ravana was not just a performance of the year but one that could be remembered for decades.
He wrote, “@TheNameisYash‘s Ravana is not a performance of the year, but it is of many decades .I say that because I simply can’t remember anything I ever saw with his kind of a electrifying effect ever since I started watching cinemaHe does not play a villainHe plays a man who has earned his power through penance, intelligence, and a refusal to bow… The backstory the trauma, the devotion to Shiva, the ambition that becomes a prison, brilliantly written by #SridharRaghavan has been enacted with a combination of both a crystal clear clarity along with a monstrous force of reaching far beyond an objective destination so colourfully displayed with magnetic precision when he intrinsically ponders with his ten heads before taking the decision of kidnapping Sita.”
Varma also praised the scene in which Ravana uses his ten heads to think before deciding to abduct SitaHe felt that this moment showed the character’s internal conflict and the complexity of his personality. He further explained that Ravana’s portrayal made him the gravitational centre of Rama’s storySumming up his thoughts, Varma wrote, “Every review that calls him the show stealer is correct, but what they missed is the larger picture that his portrayal made Ravana look like the gravitational centre of RamaIn short there’s no Rama without Ravana.”
The filmmaker also defended Ranbir Kapoor against criticism that he maintained the same expression throughout the filmAccording to Varma, viewers expecting constant emotional expressions were missing the point of the character. He explained that Rama’s strength comes from restraint, particularly during his exile and the forest sequencesHe wrote that “Ram is defined by what he withholds and not by what he expresses.” He praised Ranbir’s controlled performance and said Rama’s principles make his actions powerful. He particularly praised the music during the Tandav sequences and aerial combat scenesHe also felt that the songs helped maintain the momentum of the three-hour film.
Towards the end of his post, Ram Gopal Verma wrote, ” Ramayana: Part 1 is the opening statement of a new standard for Indian cinema and whatever film will be made after November 5 th will now be measured against it , and the only thing which will destroy Ramayana part 1 will be Ramayana part 2.”
Ramayana was released in theatres on November 5, 2026, the film is the first part of a planned two-part cinematic adaptationThe second part is expected to release in Diwali 2028.
