Producer Namit Malhotra Plans Massive Cinematic Universe and Theme Parks for Ramayana

Producer Namit Malhotra has revealed plans to build a massive global entertainment universe based on the Ramayana, featuring video games, merchandise, theme parks, and spin-off projects that surpass Western franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, and DC. Speaking at a Telugu pre-release event, Malhotra explained that the project is designed as an expansive philosophy rather than just a two-part film franchise. An unseen behind-the-scenes video outlined plans for a full merchandise line of apparel, toys, gadgets, and home furnishings, along with animated films, origin television shows, a Broadway musical, and virtual reality, augmented reality, and metaverse experiences. Malhotra noted that a major part of production involved educating Western collaborators about the epic's scale, telling them it stands above modern comic book universes because it comes from an older tradition. He also addressed past criticism of Indian mythological cinema by emphasizing that the project relies entirely on indigenous art, costumes, words, characters, creatures, and music rather than borrowing from Hollywood. Directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari, the film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Yash as Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Sunny Deol as Hanuman, and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman. The supporting cast features Kajal Aggarwal as Mandodari and Arun Govil as King Dashrath. Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman are composing the music, and the screenplay is adapted by Shridhar Raghavan and Nitesh Tiwari from the writings of Valmiki. Ramayana Part 1 will hold its world premiere at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles on October 27, release worldwide on November 5, and Part 2 is scheduled for Diwali 2027.

Context

Large-scale multi-part franchises and cinematic universes have become a dominant global strategy for major film studios to maximize revenue through merchandise, theme parks, and digital extensions. Bringing traditional cultural epics into this modern corporate franchise model represents a major shift in how Indian studios pitch domestic stories to international audiences.