As “Ramayana Part 1” opens globally on November 5, producer Namit Malhotra says the decision to adapt the Indian epic on this scale came down to the talent, experience and filmmaking power required to do the story justice.
In the first of two films directed by Nitesh Tiwari (“Dangal”, “Chhichhore”), Ranbir Kapoor plays the exiled prince Rama, whose wife Sita (Sai Pallavi) is kidnapped by the Lankan king Ravana (Yash). The soundtrack brings AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer together for the first time in a Hindi film. T-Series is the music company and Amazon Music is its music streaming partner.
“We have contributed to some of the biggest films in the world and I thought why not bring the same passion to ‘Ramayana’ as well. Of course, this comes with a huge responsibility because of what Lord Ram means to so many people,” says Malhotra. Diversity.
Malhotra is the founder and CEO of visual effects company DNEG, which won eight Oscars, most recently for “Dune: Part Two.” Produced by Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios in association with Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, the visual effects of “Ramayana” are handled by DNEG and its sister company ReDefine.
For the manufacturer, global reach must start with staying true to the source. When he first met Zimmer, the composer’s immediate interest was why “Ramayana” resonates with people even thousands of years later. “We need to honor that connection. We hope that our artists from around the world will do their best to make Indian audiences proud, and that audiences discovering ‘Ramayana’ for the first time will understand why it is so special to us,” says Malhotra.
Tiwari says the opportunity is to bring audiences closer to a story they already love through cinematic scale as well as intimate performances. “There’s a huge difference between knowing something is happening and feeling what it means for the people involved. That’s where my attention was: the relationships, the difficult choices, and the emotions in those moments,” he says. “Namit’s vision allowed us to realize this world on an extraordinary scale. My responsibility is to ensure that audiences connect with the people who inhabit this world.”
The characters and major events of “Ramayana” are familiar to millions, leaving the director little room for plot twists.
“Knowing the outcome doesn’t necessarily diminish the emotion. We go back to the stories we love because they continue to make us feel something, and sometimes as we get older, our understanding of them changes too,” says Tiwari. “Discovery can lie in a character’s reaction, an exchange between two people, or the weight of a decision. If you focus fully on that moment, knowing what happens next can actually make it more poignant. My job is to make these moments feel immediate and realistic, so the audience can experience the journey rather than just recognize the events.”
He says his previous films have shown him how audiences respond to the truth of a relationship—a small gesture between parent and child or a moment between friends. “The scale is very different and cultural responsibility is important, but I still have to ask whether a scene is honest and whether we care about the people in it,” Tiwari says. “No matter how ambitious the filmmaking, you can’t get distracted by these details. They’re what give the bigger moments their emotional weight.”
Music was at the center of Malhotra’s plan from day one and was also a personal passion. “When I thought about who could bring this vision to life, it was AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer. There was no plan B,” he says. “What excited us was the possibility of creating a new sound together. I would tell AR Rahman that I wanted the emotional familiarity of the music we love, expressed in today’s melody.”
The music was recorded with an orchestra at AIR Studios in London, where Malhotra watched Indian and Western musicians work together on the story and wished everyone could share the experience. “Hearing their compositions come to life with the orchestra in London was extraordinary. It made me feel that music could bring the emotion of ‘Ramayana’ to people everywhere,” he says.
From the beginning, the filmmaker saw music as one of the most powerful ways for audiences to connect with the film before it reached the theater, and his first order of business was to write songs that people would want to return to. Each track has been given its own release window, starting with “Jai Jai Ram”, which arrived on September 14 to coincide with the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Seeing audiences embrace it was extremely rewarding for Malhotra. “I called AR Rahman and said that you have so many songs that people love, but this is my first meeting with you.”
He says his goal is for the album’s songs, performances and events to reach people around the world and become unforgettable experiences in their own right. “Ultimately, it’s up to people to decide whether something becomes a cultural moment. If these songs become part of their celebrations, their prayers, their daily lives, that means a lot to me.”
Tiwari says it always comes back to what a scene needs – what the character is feeling and what the audience should take away from that moment – which in turn decides where the music belongs and how much space it will take up. “AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer’s speeches are driven by this emotional purpose. There are moments that invite powerful musical expression, and there are moments where a restrained passage or silence would be more impressive,” he says. “For me, the balance is right when the music draws you further into the scene without realizing how.”
The director also has a say in how the songs are promoted, working with the producers, music and marketing teams. The focus is on what each song reveals, what visuals frame it, and what is reserved for cinema. “A song could be someone’s first encounter with our film, so it should convey its emotion and soul honestly,” says Tiwari. “We also want audiences to discover more when they encounter it within the story. Ideally, the exposure creates a connection, and the film gives greater meaning to that connection.”
Malhotra, who is looking forward to the second movie, says that the first movie should offer the audience an experience they will remember, and that their investment in the characters is the strongest reason for returning. “Music can carry the emotional connection between two films. A song or a few notes of a theme can take you directly to a character, an emotion, or a moment,” he says. “My hope is that people continue to listen and that the music becomes a part of their lives during this time. Then, when they return for the second film, they return to a world they already felt connected to.”
The soundtrack is also central to Amazon Music’s foray into Hindi film music. Hindi-language music accounts for nearly 70% of what the service’s customers in India listen to, and the company has been making independent launches of major film albums both live and on the platform for over two years. Hanumankind brought together Madhubanti Bagchi and Jasmine Sandlas for ‘Dhurandhar’ on a stage in Mumbai. Their songs remained among the top 50 songs on the Most Played list much later. He launched the album “Border 2” at the INS Kadamba naval base in Karwar and organized similar events for “Param Sundari” and “Tere Ishk Mein”.
“Amazon Music is becoming the home of India’s biggest film albums,” says Rishabh Gupta, managing director, Amazon Music India. “Streaming services are becoming collaborators of culture, not just a place for music to stop, and ‘Ramayana’ is the biggest example of that yet.”
The broadcaster hosted a celebration for ‘Ramayana’ on October 21 at Chennai Trade Centre, where Rahman, joined by Kapoor, Pallavi and Yash, performed songs from the film live. It is also streaming a short-form series on Instagram and YouTube, including “Decoding the Ramayana with AR Rahman,” and has created a special place for the album on the service, as well as four new playlists named after characters from the epic. Since Amazon Music operates in more than 50 countries, every song is released abroad as well as in India.
Gupta says streaming data helps indicate which songs will be released and with whom, but decisions about what to release and when will remain with the filmmakers and T-Series. “In many ways, music is the trailer for a movie, and the song that people love is the best invitation to the theater,” he says.
Bhushan Kumar of T-Series describes the album as more than a traditional soundtrack; An album that brings the legacy of one of India’s most revered epics to audiences around the world. “With AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer coming together, we strive to honor Indian roots while creating a distinctive musical experience that resonates with both contemporary and international audiences,” he says. “Our partnership with Amazon Music further strengthens this vision by creating focused discovery opportunities and connecting the soundtrack to listeners in different markets. Ultimately, our goal is for the music to transcend the film and become part of a lasting cultural and emotional experience for generations to come.”
Amazon Music measures partnerships by engagement over time—whether listeners come back after release and whether the album leads them to music they haven’t played before—rather than by launch week. “The real success for ‘Ramayana’ will be if the songs continue to be played at festivals, in family routines and as a way into Indian music for listeners around the world, long after the film leaves theatres,” says Gupta.