Before Ramayana release, Ranbir Kapoor-Yash epic gets tax-free status in West Bengal
New Delhi: Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has declared actor and Yash’s upcoming film tax-free in West Bengal. The announcement was made during celebrations in Kolkata on Tuesday, October 20, ahead of the film’s scheduled release on November 5, 2026.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the epic is based on the Ramayana. Ranbir plays the role of Lord Ram, while Yash takes on the role of Ravana. Sai Pallavi stars as Sita, Ravi Dubey plays Lakshman, and Sunny Deol will be seen as Hanuman. The tax-free announcement comes as the film prepares to reach theatres during the Diwali festive season.
What Suvendu Adhikari said
Speaking during the celebrations, Suvendu Adhikari confirmed that the film would receive tax-free status in the state. According to ANI, he said, “The Ramayana film has been made tax-free. The Kerala Story, The Kashmir Files, and The Bengal Files, all of these will be (or have been) made tax-free, and the same will apply to Ramayana. In the days to come, we will see films on Shri Krishna and Arjuna, as well as the Mahabharata…”
#WATCH | Kolkata: West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari says, “The Ramayana film has been made tax-free. The Kerala Story, The Kashmir Files, and The Bengal Files—all of these will be (or have been) made tax-free, and the same will apply to Ramayana. In the days to come, we will see films on Shri Krishna and Arjuna, as well as the Mahabharata…”
He also says, “We also carry a deep pain in our hearts regarding the incident at the Durga Puja pandal in Chorbagan area. From this very stage, we offered prayers for those affected as well. We observed a moment of silence. Everyone stands with the grieving family.”
— ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2026
The announcement was made as members of the film’s team attended the Vijayadashami celebrations in Kolkata. The event brought together the festival’s message of the triumph of good over evil and the upcoming film’s retelling of the epic.
Ramayana release date
The first screening of Ramayana is scheduled to release in theatres on November 5, 2026. The film is planned as a two-part project, with the second instalment expected to arrive during Diwali 2027.
The project is backed by producer Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios, Yash’s Monster Mind Creations and visual effects studio DNEG.
More about Ramayana
The film aims to bring the story of Lord Ram, Sita and Ravana to the big screen with a large-scale cinematic production. Ahead of the grand global release, the film is set to have its world premiere at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles on October 27.
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Speaking at the film’s pre-release event on Monday (October 19), Namit said that the film is not just limited to two movies, but it’s a starting point of a much wider cinematic universe.
He said, “The word Ramayana, as we all know, is really a philosophy. It is a word that we have grown up with. All of us have, from our fathers, our grandfathers, our multi-generations have known the story of an epic called the Ramayana. When we were conceiving this, this was not meant to be just a film. This was meant to be much more than that.”The idea is not to make one or two movies and stop the journey of Rama. In fact, it is to start this journey. On the back of this movie, we can actually start to open up the different areas of engagement.”
Written By Uditi Sharma!