Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and starring Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash and others, 'Ramayana' is being projected as the most expensive and most extravagant visual spectacle on the Indian screen.
All that is fine, but the reported making budget of Rs 4,000 crore is making many people laugh out loud. Indian cinema, despite producing huge blockbusters, has not yet achieved even Rs 3,000 crore gross worldwide so far (including Bahubali franchise).
Even Dhurandhar franchise, the biggest hit of the year, is still doubtful of achieving that milestone with its two parts put together.
So how much should Ramayana, with its two parts, make at the box office?
A whopping Rs 8,000 crore gross worldwide would be required just to break even if the making budget is indeed Rs 4,000 crore.
Apart from this, the first look or glimpses released so far may have big names behind them, but in this AI era they appear to many viewers as somewhat tacky and cheap in terms of visual effects. This perception makes the Rs 4,000 crore budget claim look even more unbelievable.
“What is the Rs 4,000 crore for? To de-age Ranbir Kapoor and to show Yash more muscled?” quipped a netizen.
Another person commented, “Claiming such a huge budget in the AI era is funny. Where do they spend that much in making? It is better to stop making such claims. Otherwise people may assume it is a colossal disaster if the gross does not reach Rs 8,000 crore in the end.”
The film Ramayana is planned as a two-part release, with Part 1 scheduled for November 8 and Part 2 planned for Diwali 2027, leaving a gap of about one year.
Whatever the marketing pitch may be, many feel that the numbers, market potential and the visuals are not matching so far.
