Ramayana storms past Rs 10 billion in eight days, becomes third-fastest Indian film to hit the milestone

Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana has grossed Rs 1,033.55 crore worldwide in its first eight days, becoming the 10th Indian film to pass the Rs 1,000 crore mark. The film, which stars Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash, was released on November 5.

It is the third-fastest Indian film to reach the figure, behind Pushpa 2: The Rule and Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge. It is also Ranbir Kapoor’s highest-grossing film to date, ahead of Animal (2023).

Day 8 collections

On Thursday, the film earned Rs 53.5 crore net in India from 24,042 shows. The Hindi version accounted for Rs 43 crore, followed by Kannada (Rs 3.25 crore), Malayalam (Rs 2.80 crore), Telugu (Rs 2.30 crore) and Tamil (Rs 2.15 crore).

Its domestic total now stands at Rs 564.60 crore net and Rs 675.05 crore gross. The film’s release coincided with the Diwali holidays, and it earned more than Rs 100 crore in India on Monday alone.

The Rs 1,000 crore list

Ramayana currently sits 10th among Indian films by worldwide gross:

1. Dangal (2016): Rs 2,070.30 crore

2. Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge: Rs 1,813.39 crore

3. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017): Rs 1,788.06 crore

4. Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024): Rs 1,742.10 crore

5. RRR (2022): Rs 1,230 crore

6. KGF: Chapter 2 (2022): Rs 1,215 crore

7. Jawan (2023): Rs 1,160 crore

8. Pathaan (2023): Rs 1,055 crore

9. Kalki 2898 AD (2024): Rs 1,042.25 crore

10. Ramayana (2026): Rs 1,033.55 crore

About the film

Ranbir Kapoor plays Rama, with Yash as Ravana and Sai Pallavi as Sita. Sunny Deol plays Hanuman and Ravie Dubey plays Lakshman, while Arun Govil, who played Rama in Ramanand Sagar’s television series, appears as King Dasharatha.

The film is the first of two parts, with the second due on Diwali 2027. Producer Namit Malhotra has put the combined budget at over Rs 4,000 crore, and the score is by Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman.

Debate over Sita

The casting has drawn criticism since it was announced, with much of it directed at Sai Pallavi. After the promotional material and trailer came out, she faced comments about her appearance, her Hindi accent and her screen presence. Dipika Chikhlia, who played Sita in the Ramanand Sagar series, called the casting historically inaccurate. After release, actor Mukesh Khanna objected to the film presenting Sita as a warrior, arguing it departs from Valmiki’s text. The film’s costume designers have also responded to criticism of Sita’s look.

The actor has had support too. Dhanush said he did not understand the criticism and that no other actor in India could play Sita as she does. Ranbir Kapoor had earlier said that he and Tiwari both knew she was right for the role as soon as they saw her as Sita.

Plans beyond the screen

Malhotra intends to build a wider franchise around the film. At the Telugu pre-release event, he compared it to Star Wars, Marvel and DC, outlining plans for spin-off films, TV and animated series, theme park attractions, a Broadway musical, and virtual and augmented reality experiences. Separately, Sunny Deol is reportedly being considered for a large-scale musical centred on Hanuman, backed by Malhotra.