Ramayana gets U rating with zero cuts and 195-minute runtime

The censor board has cleared one of the most anticipated Bollywood spectacles of the year without a single snip. Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Rise of a Legend has been granted a U certificate, with the producers receiving the certificate on October 30.

What the rating confirms

The CBFC examining committee approved the film with no audio or visual cuts. The official runtime is locked at 195 minutes, which works out to 3 hours and 15 minutes. For a film of this scale, that is a notably clean passage: the version audiences see in cinemas is the version the filmmakers submitted.

• Certificate: U, open to all age groups
• Runtime: 195 minutes
• Cuts: none
• Theatrical release: November 5, 2026
• Sequel: expected Diwali 2027

Why the U tag matters

Plenty of event films escape the censor table without cuts, but the age rating can still limit who sees them. Recent big-ticket releases Vvan and Drishyam 3 were cleared without cuts, yet both carried UA 16+ certificates. Ramayana’s U rating removes that barrier, making it a true family outing for a story many Indian households already know and celebrate.

That distinction has a practical payoff. With no age restriction, the film can be marketed to children, grandparents and multi-generation groups, a natural audience for an adaptation of Valmiki’s Ramayan. The length may be demanding, but the rating no longer is.

The world on screen

The two-part film adapts sage Valmiki’s Ramayan. Ranbir Kapoor leads as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi plays Sita, Ravie Dubey is Lakshman, Yash plays Ravana and Sunny Deol appears as Lord Hanuman. The supporting cast includes Rakul Preet Singh as Shurpanakha, alongside Vivek Oberoi, Kunal Kapoor, Shobana, Saurabh Sachdeva, Faisal Malik and Lara Dutta.

Arun Govil, who played Rama in Ramanand Sagar’s 1987 Doordarshan series, returns as King Dashrath, adding a full-circle touch for viewers who grew up with the television epic.

Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios is producing alongside DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations. The first instalment arrives on November 5, 2026, while the second part is slated for Diwali 2027. That gives audiences a long runway between chapters, and gives the producers a clean sequel window if the first film lands.

The trailer has already set up the central conflict: Rama vows to pursue Ravana across the three realms, while Ravana claims supremacy through a boon from Lord Brahma. With the censor hurdle now cleared, the focus shifts to how the film performs as an event release — and whether the all-ages tag widens its first-week audience.

Source: India Today