Ramayana: Rise of a Legend Review: Yash Commands an Epic Where Bollywood Meets Hollywood

Director: Nitesh Tiwari

Producers: Namit Malhotra and Yash

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, and Sunny Deol as Hanuman

Production studios: Prime Focus Studios and Monster Mind Creations, with DNEG

U.S. distributor: Sony Pictures

Music: Hans Zimmer and A. R. Rahman

U.S. theatrical release: November 5, 2026

Hindi runtime: 3 hours, 15 minutes

English runtime: Approximately 2 hours, 45 minutes; some theater listings indicate 2 hours, 46 minutes

Languages: Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam; availability varies by theater

MPA rating: PG-13 for sequences of strong violence and action, and some bloody images

If Bollywood and Hollywood had a baby, it would be Ramayana: Rise of a Legend.

This ambitious fantasy adventure brings Indian storytelling sensibilities together with the scale of a Hollywood blockbuster. Inspired by the revered epic, it offers a cinematic interpretation shaped by its filmmakers’ perspective and a willingness to take substantial creative liberties.

The best way to approach the film is to take its story at face value and allow this version to establish its own terms. Audiences familiar with the Ramayana will bring their own understanding, expectations, and emotional connections. Those connections matter, but so does recognizing that this is one interpretation of a sacred narrative. Viewers expecting strict fidelity to a particular telling may find its choices challenging.

For my money, the original Hindi version is the best way to experience the film. Watch the longer presentation in its entirety, with subtitles if needed, and give the storytelling room to unfold. The cadence of the dialogue, its emphasis, and its emotional delivery contribute to the experience. Let yourself settle into its world.

The most outstanding performance belongs to Yash as Ravana.

 Audiences who know him from the KGF franchise will recognize his commanding presence, but this role takes that intensity to a whole new level. His formidable screen presence finds an even larger canvas here, making him the film’s defining attraction.

Yash gives the spectacle a personality. Even in a world filled with larger-than-life figures, he stands out, delivering the performance that leaves the strongest impression.

The Bollywood-meets-Hollywood comparison captures both the film’s appeal and the expectations surrounding it. Its cultural roots meet the ambitions of a global fantasy adventure, inviting audiences to embrace familiar material through a different cinematic perspective. How successfully that combination lands will depend partly on how much freedom viewers allow the filmmakers to reinterpret a story that means so much to so many.

Those creative liberties may also divide audiences. For viewers seeking a more faithful adaptation, the changes can create emotional distance. The film’s ambition is clear, but its approach to the source material will not satisfy everyone equally.

The verdict: 3 out of 5 stars.

Ramayana: Rise of a Legend is best experienced as a fantasy adventure shaped by a specific creative point of view. Choose the longer original Hindi version, allow the story to unfold on its own terms, and be prepared for substantial liberties with the source material. Above all, watch for Yash, whose Ravana elevates the film and takes his screen presence beyond even the heights of KGF.