Ramayana row explained: Why Shri Ramlila Mahasangh wants to watch Ranbir Kapoor’s film before release?
New Delhi: The most-anticipated film of the year, , has landed in a fresh controversy even before its release. The Shri Ramlila Mahasangh has urged makers to organise a special screening of the film for representatives of the organisation before its release in theatres.
They also warned that if filmmakers failed to arrange a film screening for the Shri Ramlila Mahasangh, then they will stage a protest outside cinema halls across India.
Mahasangh seeks Ramayana screening
According to reports, the president of the organisation, Arjun Kumar, has sent a formal letter seeking an exclusive screening of Nitesh Tiwari’s for a delegation representing the Mahasangh.
In the letter, Kumar referred to the controversy, saying they want to ensure that no scenes or dialogues hurt religious sentiments.
In the formal letter to Nitesh Tiwari and the film’s production house, he has requested a special screening of Ramayana: Part One for Mahasangh, Ramlila committees and Hindu organisations in Delhi so that the concerns can be flagged before the film reaches theatres.
The letter stated that members of Sanatan community and those associated with traditional Ramlila performances had objected to several scenes in Adipurush. Among the concerns were the depiction of Lanka in black instead of gold and the portrayal of Ravana and his army, which many believed did not align with traditional beliefs, further reminding makers of the backlash that Adipurush received, affevting the box office performance.
The Mahasingh further claimed that they had received information suggesting that Ranbir Kapoor’s film could include scenes capable of hurting religious sentiments of Hindus. Hence, they requested a special screening so that objectionable scenes and dialogues could be identified and removed before the film reaches the audiences.
They further stated that the recently released trailer of Ramayana: Part One seems “underwhelming” and Ranbir Kapoor’s portrayal as Lord Ram seems “weak”.
He said, “Recently, a film starring Prabhas was released, and we even organised a promotional event for it at the Red Fort…However, the film contained objectionable content. For example, the golden city of Lanka was depicted as black, leather was used inappropriately, and some characters were portrayed with features resembling Mughal-era figures…In our view, Adipurush presented a negative image, which is why that mega-budget film failed at the box office.”
“As for the upcoming film starring Ranbir Kapoor, we are ready to welcome and promote it. The Ramlila Committee even plans to arrange free screenings for thousands of people. However, we have one request for the filmmakers. The recently released trailer for the Ramayana adaptation appears underwhelming. Ranbir Kapoor’s portrayal of Lord Ram seems weak and lacks the gravitas associated with the character,” he added.
He continued, “In our opinion, he does not fully resemble the image of Lord Ram…In contrast, regarding this new mega-budget film starring a major actor like Ranbir Kapoor, our only request is that it should avoid the kind of scenes that appeared in Adipurush and contributed to its failure…We would like a show of the film to be arranged for Hindu organisations in Delhi, including the Ramlila committees.”
About Ramayana
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana will be released in two part, with first part set to have Diwali 2026 release and the second part will arrive during Diwali 2027.
Produced by Namit Malhotra, the film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash, Ravi Dubey, Vivek Oberoi, Lara Dutta, Rakul Preet Singh, Arun Govil, Anupam Kher, Kajal Aggarwal, and Sunny Deol, among others.