Ramayana early review: 30-min shorter English cut praised

Diwali box office just got its first real jolt of excitement. Days before Ramayana: Part 1 opens worldwide, a since-deleted social media reaction from a claimed private screening has gone viral—and it has fans debating whether Nitesh Tiwari’s epic will be the emotional spectacle the festive season needs.

The post is unverified and the account no longer exists, with only the notice “This Post is from an account that no longer exists.” left behind. That disappearing-act quality has only made the reaction travel faster.

What the early reaction claims

The viewer reportedly watched the English-dubbed version and praised its emotional moments, music and visual effects. The music was described as “powerful” and was credited with helping create a connection to the story, while some scenes were said to be moving enough to bring tears.

Visually, the reaction drew a comparison with The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers—a high bar for any fantasy-scale retelling. Another post singled out Yash’s Ravana, a role that has been the subject of intense fan chatter since casting began.

• Emotional moments: strong enough to draw tears from an early viewer.
• Music: labelled powerful and central to the story’s pull.
• Visuals: compared with Middle-earth-style spectacle.
• Open question: some reactions still wonder if the scale matches RRR.

The 30-minute question for two versions

The English-language cut is reportedly around 30 minutes shorter than the Hindi version. That detail has become a talking point of its own. For an audience that gets different versions across territories, a shorter cut raises a simple question: does the international edit carry the same emotional weight, or does it trade away some of the build-up?

The early praise for emotion and music suggests, at least for this one viewer, the shorter edit still lands its big beats.

That RRR comparison is also a reminder of how high the bar has been set for Indian epics in the global market. A film can be emotional and visually rich, but audiences now ask whether it delivers the same adrenaline-and-spectacle package that made Rajamouli’s blockbuster a crossover phenomenon.

Why the timing matters

Social media speculation suggests international critics may have started watching the English version ahead of a possible review embargo lifting on October 30. If that timeline holds, the first verified reactions could arrive less than a week before the film’s November 5, 2026 release—leaving very little room between critical verdicts and the Diwali crowd.

The film is directed by Nitesh Tiwari and stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman. Meanwhile, reports now place Part 2 in 2028, a push from the earlier plan of Diwali 2027.

For Hindi film fans, the takeaway is simple: this is a promising, unverified spark—not the final word. The real test begins when the embargo lifts and paying audiences get their turn.

Source: The Times of India