The official trailer of Ramayana: Part 1, which was unveiled on Thursday morning, has received strongly polarised reactions on social media. While a section of film-goers are lauding the makers for the grand scale and visual ambition, many netizens are criticising the casting choices, including both Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi, who play Lord Ram and Sita, respectively. Amidst the heated discourse, Nitish Bhardwaj has shared his enthusiastic response to the trailer.
Taking to his Instagram page, Nitish, who played Lord Krishna in the iconic 80s TV serial Mahabharat, wrote, “100% Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Namit, congratulations. Nitesh Tiwari is Bharat’s next gift to the world cinema after Satyajit Rai & Shekhar Kapoor. Tens of awards for Production design & DOP. Wonderful period creation using VFx & AI. Thanks to a great music maestro Hans Zimmer for collaborating with Indian cinema.”
Nitish also praised Ranbir, stating that the Ramayana actor is now at par with Ranveer in terms of stardom. At the same time, the Mahabharat actor also advised Ranbir Kapoor to embrace his social responsibility and avoid doing films like Animal that digress from the responsibility. He stated, “Now starts your social responsibility to uphold Bharat’s heritage, values, culture & ethos. So no more ANIMAL even if the goldmine is offered to you. Plz do not pollute your Vaani anymore. Bharat has enough stories to satiate your acting prowess.”
Nitish Bhardwaj also expressed his hope about Sai Pallavi being accepted as Sita by the audience, adding, “Will want to see Ramayan at least 5 times as my respect to Nitesh’s toil of making this magnum opus.”
The Ramayana trailer also provides glimpses of its massive ensemble cast, including Arun Govil as King Dasharath; Ajinkya Deo as Sage Vishwamitra; Kunal Kapoor as Lord Indra; Rakul Preet Singh as Surpanakha; Vivek Oberoi as Meghnath, and Ravie Dubey as Lakshmana. Sunny Deol's Hanuman, however, was missing from the trailer. The ensemble cast also includes Shobana, Saurabh Sachdev, and Sheeba Chaddha. Adapted by Shridhar Raghavan, Ramayana also has music by Oscar-winning legends Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios and VFX studio DNEG, in association with Yash's Monster Mind Creations, Ramayana: Part 1 will release worldwide on Diwali 2026, with global distribution by Sony Pictures.
