Yash: Back Ramayana, don’t pull down its Rs 4,000 crore budget

Yash’s Bengaluru appeal

At the Ramayana trailer launch in Bengaluru, Yash asked Indian audiences to stop pulling the two-part epic down over its reported Rs 4,000 crore budget. The actor-producer, who plays Ravana in Nitesh Tiwari’s adaptation, framed the project as something to speak of with pride.

“You can speak of this film with pride,” he said. “I am the producer of this project. It is a work that has emerged from our midst to reach the entire world.”

The plea landed on home ground and arrived just after a bruising run for his previous film.

Toxic’s box-office wound

Yash paused to thank Kannada fans who defended Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups and still turned up in theatres despite the criticism. “I can never fully repay this debt,” he told the crowd.

Directed by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic earned around Rs 330 crore worldwide against a reported budget of roughly Rs 500 crore. A strong opening slipped as reviews and online chatter turned sharply negative. That makes the Ramayana appeal less like a routine promo line and more like a star asking audiences to give his next swing a fair shot.

What Ramayana is working with

The Rs 4,000 crore outlay makes Ramayana one of the most expensive Indian film projects ever attempted. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra, the two-part adaptation will see Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman, Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Yash as Ravana.

The release plan is set:

• Ramayana: Part 1 opens on November 5, 2026.
• Part 2 is slated for Diwali 2027.
• Reported project budget: Rs 4,000 crore.
• Toxic benchmark: Rs 330 crore worldwide on a Rs 500 crore budget.

Why the budget talk lingers

A number like Rs 4,000 crore raises the stakes before a single ticket is sold. For a culturally central story, every headline becomes a debate about spectacle and responsibility.

Yash’s core request is simpler: judge the film on craft, not on its balance sheet. That is also what makes the November 5 opening a referendum on more than just one film—it is a test of whether Indian audiences can look past a giant number and respond to what is on screen.

The real work begins then. If audiences return for repeat viewings, the budget will look like conviction rather than excess. If they do not, no pre-release speech can change the narrative.

Source: India Today