Ramayana: Part One Review: 4.5 Moons for a Grand Epic

Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Part One arrives as a devotional and cinematic swing—one that wants to feel like myth, not merely adapt it. The first chapter follows Prince Rama through his early years, his time with sage Vishwamitra, and the swayamvar where he lifts Shiva’s bow to win Sita. The joy in Ayodhya is short-lived: Queen Kaikeyi calls in her two boons, and Rama accepts the 14-year exile to protect his father’s word.

The film then moves into the forest chapters—Shurpanakha, the golden deer, and Ravana’s plan to abduct Sita—closing on the emotional runway for the larger conflict. It is, deliberately, a foundation story: dharma, sacrifice, love and righteousness are the load-bearing walls.

The performances

Ranbir Kapoor carries Rama with a restraint that suits the part: dignified, compassionate and steady rather than showy. Yash gives Ravana an imposing screen presence, and Sai Pallavi brings grace and inner steel to Sita without letting her become ornamental. The supporting cast—Ravie Dubey as Lakshman and Arun Govil as Dashrath—adds texture to an ensemble that has to feel iconic from the first frame.

The craft

The production design does a lot of the world-building: palaces, kingdoms, costumes and landscapes feel immersive rather than merely expensive. DNEG’s visual effects sharpen the larger-than-life moments. Nitesh Tiwari’s direction is unhurried without feeling slack; he trusts the audience to know the story, so the film spends its energy on texture—ritual, costume, gesture, score—rather than over-explaining each beat.

The score does not simply decorate the film; it behaves like a second narrator. The coming together of A.R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer gives the film two registers—one intimate, one monumental—and the film switches between them without losing momentum.

Why it matters

For years, the Ramayana has been framed as Indian cinema’s biggest storytelling test—large enough to demand world-class craft, intimate enough to demand devotion. This first part suggests that scale and sincerity can share the screen. The result feels less like a visual-effects showcase and more like a retelling that respects the moral weight of the text.

What lingers

• The exile is treated as an emotional event, not just a plot point.
• The vfx and design make the myth feel physically present.
• The Rahman-Zimmer score is its own reason to buy a ticket.

PeepingMoon rates the film 4.5 Moons and calls it “a grand tribute to Lord Ram and the civilisation that grew up with his story.” That phrasing names the film’s real ambition: to serve the faithful and the first-timer in the same screening. The main caveat is structural—this is Part One, so the Rama-Ravana battle is promised, not delivered. Go for the spectacle, stay for the score, and set your expectations for the foundation rather than the finale. For Hindi film fans, that is enough reason to watch it now instead of waiting for the two-part story to finish.

Source: PeepingMoon