Ramayana will bring together two powerhouse talents from the world of music -- Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman -- and the Indian maestro says they will deliver a background score that will be different yet culturally resonant.
The two musicians are hard at work for the score of Ramayana, a live-action adaptation of the Hindu epic from filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari.
Namit Malhotra of Prime Focus Studios is producing the film, which will feature Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Goddess Sita, and Yash as Ravana.
“Hans Zimmer is a prolific composer who has done great things. I’ve known him since 2009, and he always had valuable insights to share with me. I have great respect for him,” Rahman told PTI.
Zimmer, a two-time Academy Award winner, has composed some of Hollywood’s most iconic soundtracks, including The Lion King (1994), Gladiator (2000), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), and Dune (2021).
Rahman, who won two Oscars for his work on the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, credited Malhotra for bringing them together.
"We've had a great meeting so far. We've met three-four times. I can't say much more because it's a work in progress,” Rahman added.
With Ramayana, Rahman said both him and Zimmer have tried to create music that is unique and will resonate with the global audience.
''Ramayana is part of our culture. I've studied in Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan and every year there would be Ramayana or Mahabharata or Shakuntala kind of plays (happening there). So, the culture is within me,” he said.
"For this, we had to be different from all the other scores which have come before because it is for a world audience. When you look at the trailer music, it shows what we're trying to do. We will hopefully (be) particular about cultural relevance, but we are careful about it,” the musician added.
Billed as an ambitious cinematic event, Ramayana also stars Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman and Ravie Dubey as Lakshmana. The film will be released in two parts, with the first instalment coming out on Diwali 2026, followed by part two on Diwali 2027.
