Ramayana Trailer Draws Times Square Applause Ahead of November 5 Release

Rama's Flaming Arrow Lights Up Times Square

Ranbir Kapoor's Lord Rama fires a flaming arrow across the giant screens of New York's Times Square in a newly circulated video of the trailer for Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana. People watching the preview can be seen applauding as it ends, giving the production a public showcase ahead of its scheduled worldwide theatrical release on November 5, 2026.

The footage also features Yash as Ravana, the powerful king whose conflict with Rama drives the adaptation of the ancient Hindu epic. The Times Square presentation follows a trailer debut at San Diego Comic-Con attended by Kapoor, Yash, director Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra.

Ramayana is being made as two films, with the second scheduled for the Diwali holiday period in 2027. Together, the productions have a budget of ₹4,000 crore, approximately $500 million, confirmed by Yash. Both were filmed for IMAX, while the first installment is planned for release in Hindi and English, alongside versions dubbed into several other languages.

The international campaign combines the Times Square screening, a trailer in English and distribution outside India through Sony Pictures. North American tickets are already on sale. For audiences, the immediate choices will include language and screening format, with IMAX and other premium large format presentations planned alongside the theatrical release.

The applause captured in New York offers an early glimpse of audience enthusiasm. The much larger test arrives in November, when the first film brings its cast, music and extensive visual effects into cinemas.

What the New Trailer Reveals

The trailer in English, released under the name Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, runs two minutes and 36 seconds. It introduces Ravana as a force threatening the world's order before turning to Rama and the responsibility he faces in confronting him.

Yash plays Ravana, the king of Lanka. In the trailer, the character announces his demand for submission:

Before me, every head will bow,

Kapoor's Rama answers the threat with a declaration about his fate and the danger facing the world. Speaking as Rama in the trailer, Kapoor says:

If this is my fate... I will not hesitate to destroy him. If I don't stop him... the world will fall.

The preview combines landscapes, confrontations, mythological weapons and scenes of armies in battle. Kunal Kapoor also appears as Lord Indra. The sequence of images presents both the personal struggle between Rama and Ravana and the wider world caught up in their conflict.

Where the First Film Is Expected to End

Rama's exile provides the starting point for the central story. As King Dasharatha's eldest son, he leaves his kingdom for 14 years to uphold his father's vow. His wife Sita and brother Lakshman accompany him into the forest.

The trailer introduces Surpanakha, Ravana's sister, whose attraction to Rama sets off a chain of events leading to her humiliation. Ravana then seeks retribution, and the conflict moves toward Sita's abduction.

Part 1 is expected to end with the abduction, leaving the rescue campaign and climactic battle for Part 2. That structure makes Sita's capture the dividing point between the two films: the first follows the events that bring the characters into conflict, while the second is set to carry the struggle through to its conclusion.

The Cast Behind the Epic's Central Figures

Sai Pallavi plays Sita alongside Kapoor as Rama and Yash as Ravana. Sunny Deol portrays Hanuman, while Ravie Dubey plays Lakshman, Rama's brother and companion during exile. Together, those roles place the principal figures of the story at the center of the adaptation.

Arun Govil appears as King Dasharatha, whose vow shapes Rama's departure from his kingdom. Rakul Preet Singh plays Surpanakha, and Kunal Kapoor's Indra brings another figure from the epic's divine world into the trailer.

Tiwari directs from a screenplay by Shridhar Raghavan. Adapting an epic for cinema means selecting which events to show, how much time to give each character and where to divide the narrative. The planned ending of Part 1 is one of the clearest indications so far of how this production will organize its story.

Hindi and English Versions: What Is Confirmed?

Ramayana is planned for release in Hindi and English. Reports suggest that the Hindi version could run for about three hours and 15 minutes, while the English version could be shorter and might leave out some song sequences. The filmmakers have not officially confirmed either runtime or those proposed editing differences.

The official IMAX listing gives a duration of three hours and 15 minutes, lists Hindi and English as languages with English subtitles, and names Sony Pictures as distributor. It does not specify separate runtimes by language or confirm any song edits.

A runtime of three hours and 15 minutes would mean 195 minutes in the cinema before allowing for any interval or advertising. That would make the length a practical consideration for viewers planning a visit, particularly families attending with children.

The two minutes and 36 seconds attached to the international trailer describe the preview alone. Audiences awaiting the feature's final duration and song selection will need the release details for their chosen language version.

Other language versions are also planned through dubbing, which replaces the spoken dialogue with a recording in another language. The announced Indian-language releases are Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. The Hindi and English release plans put language choice alongside screen size as a central part of the film's international rollout.

Years of Work Behind the Visual Effects

DNEG is handling the visual effects, with the production asking artists to create environments, weapons and action on a scale central to the trailer's appeal. The company's credits include Dune, Interstellar and Inception.

Earlier footage drew criticism from some viewers over its computer generated imagery. Kapoor subsequently defended the work involved, describing the time Tiwari and Malhotra spent discussing visual details, including the color of the sky.

Tiwari said some individual effects shots had taken between two and a half and three years. A shot is a continuous piece of screen footage, sometimes lasting only seconds. Creating one can involve combining actors filmed on a set with digitally built scenery, lighting, movement and other elements.

The director also acknowledged the difficulty of presenting a production of this scale to online audiences, where individual visual details receive close scrutiny. The new trailer gives viewers more material to assess ahead of the theatrical release.

A Large Production With a Global Release Plan

Prime Focus Studios, led by Namit Malhotra, and Yash's Monster Mind Creations are producing the project. Malhotra is also the founder of Prime Focus and chief executive of DNEG, connecting the production leadership with the company responsible for its visual effects.

Speaking at a trailer launch event in Bengaluru on October 15, 2026, Yash confirmed that the ₹4,000 crore budget covers both films together, including post-production and promotional expenses. That is the financial scale attached to the two part undertaking, rather than a stated budget for the November release alone.

Ramayana is a two-part project, and the budget for both the movies combined is definitely ₹4,000 crore. The budget includes post-production and promotional expenses as well.

Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman, both Academy Award winners, share composing duties. Their score will accompany a story that moves from royal life and forest exile to abduction and warfare, giving the music a role across very different settings and emotions.

Sony Pictures is handling distribution in territories outside India, while Dharma Productions is handling distribution in the Hindi-speaking market. Distributors organize a film's release in their markets, working with cinemas to bring it to audiences. The arrangement gives the project separate partners for its domestic and international theatrical campaigns.

November Release Begins a Two Film Schedule

November 5, 2026, is the scheduled worldwide release date for the first film. Its arrival during the Diwali holiday period connects the release to a festival closely associated with Rama's story.

A DNEG announcement dated July 3, 2025, set out a 2026 release for Part 1 and a 2027 release for Part 2, describing the project as a two-part cinematic universe. It also described the films as filmed for IMAX, a production designation rather than confirmation of an IMAX release plan. IMAX's own listing now gives November 5, 2026, as the release date and labels the film "Filmed For IMAX."

The makers confirmed the November 5 worldwide opening across all premium formats in an October 11 announcement, with advance bookings opening on Dussehra. Paid previews are scheduled for November 4, and an IMAX release is planned.

Diwali celebrates, among other traditions, Rama's return to Ayodhya after 14 years in exile and his victory over Ravana. The lamps associated with the festival recall the lighting of the city to welcome him home. The sequel is scheduled for the same holiday period the following year.

• November 5, 2026: Ramayana Part 1 is scheduled to open worldwide, with Hindi and English releases, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam versions, and IMAX screenings planned.
• Diwali 2027: Ramayana Part 2 is scheduled to follow, continuing the story toward the rescue and climactic battle.

For viewers in North America, ticket sales have already begun. The schedule sets up a return to cinemas in 2027 for the continuation, while the first installment is expected to close at the moment Sita's abduction transforms Rama's exile into a rescue mission.

Key Points

• A video of the Ramayana trailer screening at Times Square shows viewers applauding after a finale featuring Rama firing a flaming arrow.
• Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash lead the cast as Rama, Sita and Ravana.
• Part 1 is scheduled for worldwide release on November 5, 2026, with Part 2 planned for Diwali 2027.
• Both films were shot for IMAX, and Yash confirmed their combined budget is ₹4,000 crore, approximately $500 million, including post-production and promotional expenses.
• Hindi and English releases are planned, alongside Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam versions. IMAX lists a three-hour-and-15-minute duration without separate runtimes by language; the filmmakers have not officially confirmed the reported runtime differences or song edits.
• DNEG is handling visual effects, while Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman share composing duties.