Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi's Ramayana Rs 4000 crore budget draws fire from this filmmaker: 'Hollywood films like...'

Ramayana is touted to be a cinematic spectacle with two parts, Part 1 slated for a Diwali 2026 release and Part 2 following in 2027. The film features a star-studded cast including Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Yash as Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ravie Dubey as Laxmana, and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. The makers aim to elevate global ambition with top-notch VFX, musical collaboration between A.R. Rahman and Hollywood maestro Hans Zimmer, leveraging expertise from Prime Focus and DNEG. With a Rs 4000 crore budget, the makers are set to redefine global perceptions of Indian cinema with this mythological epic. However, filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, known for Kaante, Musafir, Zinda, Shootout at Wadala, Jazbaa, Kaabil, and Mumbai Saga, recently questioned the hype around the budget, drawing contrast to Hollywood films like Avatar, Matrix, The Lord of the Rings and Dune, among others. 

What did Sanjay Gupta say about Ramayana's Rs 4000 crore budget?

Taking to X(formerly known as Twitter), Sanjay Gupta took a sharp dig at Ramayana's makers for boasting about their film before its release. "MATRIX, LORD OF THE RINGS, AVATAAR, DUNE, STARWARS, etc.
All films with groundbreaking never seen before VFX. None spoke about it before the release. They let the work speak for itself,(sic)," he tweeted.  Soon after, the social media users spammed the comment section with mixed reactions. 
 

MATRIX, LORD OF THE RINGS, AVATAAR, DUNE, STARWARS, etc.
All films with groundbreaking never seen before VFX.
None spoke about it before the release.
They let the work speak for itself.

— Sanjay Gupta (@_SanjayGupta) July 15, 2025

A user reacted, "Indian film business runs on hype. You need to hype the film to increase its marketability. You would know that." A second user stated, "Because it’s normal in Hollywood to have a groundbreaking VFX. Before Tenet, everyone was talking about how the original aeroplane was used, including people associated with the movie. There has to be hype." Another user added, "It’s a moment of pride. Because for the first time, we’re not adapting a Western idea. We’re elevating our own epic for the world to witness."

Namit Malhotra on Ramayana's budget

Namit Malhotra, who is also the founder and non-executive director of Prime Focus Limited & DNEG, the VFX company behind masterpieces like Inception, Dune, and Interstellar and others, recently shared his ambition with Ramayana. Speaking on Prakhar Gupta's podcast, he called Ramayana the "greatest epic" and the "largest film in the world." Describing Ramayana as his lifetime project, Namit said, “So, when we set out to make it, six, seven years ago, just after the pandemic, when we started to really get serious about mounting it and producing it, and budget-wise, it was like everybody thought I’m a lunatic. Because no Indian film, by a long distance, comes close to it. So, to put it simply, it’ll be about $500 million by the time we’re done, on both films put together, part one and part two, which is over Rs 4,000 crore.” Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana Part 1 is set to arrive in Diwali 2026, the makers recently shared the announcement teaser.