Ramayana Wants to Be India's Marvel. Here's What It Will Take to Pull That Off

Let me start with the line that made me sit up.

"When you hear stories about Star Wars, when you hear about Marvel or DC, the idea is that they've created what they call a universe. Ramayana is a universe."

That's Namit Malhotra, the producer behind Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, speaking at the film's Telugu pre-release event in Hyderabad. He wasn't being subtle. He also said: "The idea is not to make one or two movies and stop the journey of Rama. In fact, it is to start this journey."

And the plan he showed is massive. Not just Part 1 (out worldwide on 5 November, after a world premiere at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles on 27 October) and Part 2 (Diwali 2027). He's talking about:

• Video games based on the property

• A full merchandise line: apparel, toys, gadgets, home furnishings

• Spin-offs: origin films, TV shows, animated films

• Theme park experiences

• A Broadway musical

• VR, AR and metaverse experiences

That's not a film. That's a business model. So the real question isn't whether Ramayana is a big story. It's the biggest story we have. The question is whether India, as a market, can support a Marvel-style machine. And that's where it gets interesting.

Why Ramayana has an unfair advantage

Marvel had to spend a decade teaching the world who Iron Man was. Ramayana doesn't need to teach anyone anything. Every Indian already knows Ram, Sita, Lakshman, Hanuman and Ravan. Our grandparents watched Ramanand Sagar's 1987 serial like it was a prayer. (Arun Govil, the Ram of that show, plays King Dashrath here. That's not casting, that's a blessing.)

There's no origin-story fatigue risk. Hanuman alone could carry a franchise. Jatayu, Kumbhakaran, Vibhishan, Mandodari, Surpanakha, Indra: every side character comes with centuries of stories already attached. Malhotra said it himself: "Fortunately, you don't have to take inspiration from anything else."

Marvel spent a decade teaching the world who Iron Man was. Nobody needs to be told who Hanuman is.

Why India is a hard market for this

Now the reality check, because I've watched too many Indian "universes" get announced with a lot of noise and then quietly stall.

1. Merch in India is a counterfeit game. The moment an official Ramayana t-shirt costs ₹1,999, a ₹199 version will be outside every railway station by the weekend. Marvel makes serious money from licensing because its markets protect it. Here, the brand has to win on price, not just on IP.

2. Our audience is not one audience. A Marvel film plays roughly the same in Ohio and Ontario. A Ramayana spin-off has to work in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam markets that each have their own relationship with the epic. The film is already releasing across languages for exactly this reason.

3. It's not just a story. It's faith. You can make Thor funny. You cannot make Ram funny. Every creative choice on a spin-off, from a game mechanic to a toy design, will be judged by people who pray to these characters. We've already seen how fast a Ramayana adaptation can go wrong when audiences feel it's been disrespected. That is the single biggest risk to this entire plan.

4. Gaps kill universes. Marvel works because there's always something next. Indian franchises tend to have long, uncertain gaps between parts. Ramayana has Part 2 locked for Diwali 2027. What fills the space after that matters as much as the films themselves.

How they can actually ace it

If I were in that war room, here's what I'd push:

• Win the box office first. None of this exists if Part 1 underdelivers. The universe is a reward, not a plan B.

• Animation is the real gateway. Kids are where franchises live forever. A well-made animated Hanuman series on a streaming platform could do more for this universe than any theme park.

• Price the merch for India, not for LA. Affordable, official, everywhere. Make the original cheaper and better than the fake.

• Treat the text with respect, every single time. Hire people who understand the Valmiki source and the regional versions. Let fans feel ownership, not exploitation.

• Go global on Indian terms. Premiering in LA is a statement. The opportunity is to sell Indian mythology to the world without sanding off what makes it Indian.
  

My take

Ramayana is the only Indian IP that genuinely deserves the word "universe". The story is bigger than Marvel. The question is whether the execution can be as disciplined. If Part 1 lands, and if the team respects both the faith and the Indian wallet, this could be the first time an Indian franchise is built to last, not just to open.

If you missed them: here's what we thought of the trailer, our take on the Mangal Rang wedding song, and the story of the ₹4.25 crore Ramayana-inspired Jacob & Co watch.

Frequently asked questions

When does Ramayana Part 1 release?

Ramayana Part 1 releases worldwide on 5 November 2026, with its world premiere at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles on 27 October. Part 2 is scheduled for Diwali 2027.

What is the Ramayana cinematic universe?

Producer Namit Malhotra has said the franchise will go beyond the two films, with video games, merchandise, spin-off films, TV and animated shows, theme park experiences, a Broadway musical and VR, AR and metaverse experiences.

Who is in the Ramayana cast?

Ranbir Kapoor plays Rama, Yash plays Ravana, Sai Pallavi plays Sita, Sunny Deol plays Hanuman and Ravie Dubey plays Lakshman. Nitesh Tiwari directs.

Can Ramayana become as big as Marvel?

It has the story and the audience. Whether it becomes a lasting universe depends on the films landing, a steady release calendar, affordable official merchandise and handling a sacred text with care.