Namit Malhotra says Ramayana budget crosses ₹4000 crore: 'Everybody thought I was a lunatic'
Producer Namit Malhotra confirms Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana is a ₹4000 crore two-part film, calling it India’s biggest project, with a global vision, star cast, and music by AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer.
Last Updated: 09.23 AM, Jul 15, 2025
Producer Namit Malhotra has spoken out in response to persistent questions about the production budget of Nitesh Tiwari's next mythical epic, Ramayana. The most costly Indian film project ever undertaken, the two-part film would surpass ₹4000 crore (around 500 million USD) in total production costs, according to Malhotra, who recently spoke on Prakhar Gupta's podcast.
India's most expensive film yet
"Budget-wise, it was like…everybody thought I was a lunatic because no Indian film by a long distance comes close to it," Malhotra remarked. "To put it simply, it will be like 500 million dollars by the time we are done on both films put together—Part One and Part Two, which is over Rs 4000 crores."
Ramayana was a passion project for Prime Focus and DNEG CEO Malhotra, who described it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to present the Indian epic to an international audience on an unprecedented scale.
He made the comment while speaking about how they were producing the biggest film ever for the most epic tale that everyone should witness.
Namit Malhotra compares costs with Hollywood
Even with such a massive budget, Malhotra insisted it was still cheap in comparison to other massive Hollywood films. "And I still think it's cheaper than some of the big Hollywood films. So I think we're making a bigger film at a lower cost. For me, it's not a money-driven thing, honestly," he added.
The beloved Indian epic Ramayana is adapted into a two-part film by renowned director Nitesh Tiwari, who is well known for his work on Dangal and Chhichhore. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Yash as Ravana, Sunny Deol as Hanuman, and Sai Pallavi as Sita. Although their roles have not been publicly announced, the film also boasts a sizable ensemble of supporting actors.
International music collaboration
A. R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer, two well-known musicians, collaborated to write the movie's soundtrack. Rumour has it that a big Hollywood studio is in talks with the film's producers about worldwide distribution rights.
Ramayana is looking like one of the most ambitious film projects in Indian cinema history, what with the massive budget and the level of artists involved.