Ramayana film surpassed 100 crore at Dhanteras, but trails Adipurush and Dhurandhar 2

After watching the film 'Ramayana' recently, it became clear that the casting discussions that had been going on for weeks were reflected on screen. No matter where you are in the world, the influence of Ramanand Sagar's 'Ramayana' from 1987 is so deep in the hearts of viewers that comparison is unavoidable. Although there are no serious technical issues with the film's casting, the true essence lies in the script and how the film attempts to present this story in the modern era. Below, we examine the main characters from both periods and the differences between them in detail.

Arun Govil and Ranbir Kapoor

In the famous 1987 series by Ramanand Sagar, Arun Govil portrayed Rama as a calm, meek, softly speaking, and deeply devoted hero. His restrained demeanor and serene facial features made him a constant spiritual symbol, and even today in India, anyone who plays Rama is compared to Arun Govil. Interestingly, in this new film, Arun Govil himself plays the role of King Dasharatha. His voice still evokes memories of the old Rama, although in the role of Dasharatha, he seems not to fully meet expectations.

Conversely, in Nitesh Tiwari's 'Ramayana' from 2026, Ranbir Kapoor is presented completely differently. Here, Rama is depicted as a more athletic, grounded, and physically active warrior prince. His performance masterfully balances spiritual stability with courage and the emotional vulnerability of a man undergoing exile. Nevertheless, Ranbir's perception in the role of Rama might seem strange because the images of his previous violent and commercial films are fresh in the minds of viewers, which makes accepting this new role instantly difficult.

Sai Pallavi and Deepika Chikhalia

In Ramanand Sagar's 'Ramayana', Deepika Chikhalia played Sita, who radiated traditional restraint, quiet virtue, and deep self-respect. She did not just perform the role; she lived it, and the immense respect and love for Rama visible in her eyes deeply touched the hearts of Indian families. In contrast, the image of Sita embodied by Sai Pallavi in the 2026 film is vastly different from the previous one. Sita here is completely modern and bold. Like Rama, she is athletic and fully proficient in fencing. There is a scene in the film where Sita's mother goes onto the battlefield in full combat gear and defeats 14,000 demons alongside Rama and Lakshmana. Moreover, during Sita's abduction, not a trace of fear or tears appears in her eyes, which is a major departure from traditional Indian worldview.

Aravind Trivedi and Yash

In the 1987 series, Aravind Trivedi immortalized Ravana as a terrifying mythological villain possessing traditional dramatic grandeur, powerful speeches, booming laughter, and full energy. Ravana's arrogance and terror were clearly evident in every dialogue, and most importantly, in that era, the image of Ravana was not idealized or embellished in any way. In contrast, in the 2026 film, Yash presented Ravana as an extremely influential, politically astute, and complex king of Lanka. Nitesh Tiwari's 'Ramayana' spends much time exploring Ravana's intellect, power, and inner motivations, rather than simply portraying him as an odious villain. Yash looks magnificent in his performance, but the way this character is constructed sometimes gives the impression that the creators are trying to justify or glorify Ravana.

The Changed Image of Lakshmana

Sunil Lahri won the hearts of all viewers in the 1987 series with his passionate, emotional, and youthful devotion to his elder brother Rama. A unique characteristic of Lakshmana's image was the special mix of anger, loyalty, and assertiveness always visible in his eyes. Meanwhile, in the 2026 film, Ravi Dubey presented the relationship of this loyal younger brother with the intensity of contemporary cinema. He can be called the Lakshmana of the 'millennial' generation, whose speech is less restrained; he often winks, displays anger fearlessly, and is ready for action at any moment. His dialogues are quite light. If you have seen Saif Ali Khan's character in the film 'We Together', this Lakshmana reminds you of the same mischievous and modern style.

The Transformed Shurpanakha

The image of Renuka Dhariwal remained in the memory of generations. Ramanand Sagar, drawing on folk tale traditions, presented Shurpanakha as a demoness who was utterly bold, fearless, and frightening. Her eerie laughter and aggressive confrontation with Rama and Lakshmana became a memorable feature of old Indian television. Conversely, in Nitesh Tiwari's 'Ramayana', Rakul Preet Singh portrayed Shurpanakha in a very distinct style, in human form. Instead of showing her in a scary or demonic guise, Tiwari presented her in her royal aspect as a princess of Lanka. She was shown to be very attractive. However, the creators presented this with the idea that beauty...

Projections indicate that the box office collection for the film 'Ramayana' (Part 1) will reach 160 crore rupees on its first day of release. This epic film, based on the 'Ramayana' and directed by Nitish Tiwari, features lead roles by Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, and Sai Pallavi. The movie is poised to become one of the highest-grossing premieres in India during the Diwali festival.

Typically, the period immediately preceding Diwali is not considered the most lucrative for cinema releases, and even major films do not always achieve high figures in the domestic market. However, if current forecasts prove accurate, 'Ramayana' will be a historic exception.

One day before the global release, scheduled for Thursday, November 5th, 'Ramayana' earned approximately 96.75 crore rupees from advance bookings. Excluding block reservations, this amount stands at 77.44 crore rupees. To date, a total of 2.573 million tickets have been sold across 83,172 shows. Of these, 1.014 million tickets were sold for the Opening Day across 23,699 shows, generating 39.40 crore rupees (33.36 crore rupees excluding block seats) in advance sales.

According to Sacnilk data, the opening day accounts for the largest share of advance sales. This is followed by Saturday, November 7th, where 4.98 lakh tickets were sold across 17,773 shows, bringing in 19.69 crore rupees (15.56 crore rupees excluding block reservations). Then, on Friday, November 6th, 4.89 lakh tickets were sold across 18,496 shows, amounting to 18.63 crore rupees (14.60 crore rupees excluding block reservations).

As expected, advance sales on Sunday, November 8th, were the lowest. This was due to the Diwali festival. On Sunday, 3.81 lakh tickets were sold across 15,174 shows, generating 13.23 crore rupees (9.75 crore rupees excluding block reservations). It is anticipated that 'Ramayana' will successfully navigate Monday as well, as 1.91 lakh tickets have been sold so far across 7,489 shows, yielding 5.79 crore rupees (4.17 crore rupees excluding block reservations).

The Hindi version leads in advance sales, accounting for 82% (79 crore rupees). This is followed by Telugu dubbed versions (8%, 8.10 crore rupees), Kannada (8%, 7.29 crore rupees), Tamil (2%, 1.87 crore rupees), and Malayalam (1%, 49.29 lakh rupees).

Only at the national chain PVR INOX, with revenue exceeding 25 crore rupees, is 'Ramayana' set to set a record for pre-Diwali advance sales. According to CEO Kamal Gianchandani, the film has broken the 'Diwali myth' (the myth of poor film performance during Diwali) and achieved the highest level of advance sales in over three decades of PVR INOX history.

This indicates that the contribution of multiplex cinemas to the overall advance sales of 'Ramayana' in India is significantly higher than that of single-screen theaters. Premium formats such as IMAX 3D, 4DX, and Dolby Cinema constitute over 19% of the total advance sales, although their share in the total number of shows is currently only 2%.

This also suggests that audiences are not facing significant difficulties due to the high ticket prices for the extended weekend of 'Ramayana'. For instance, at PVR ICON: Phoenix Palladium in Lower Parel, Mumbai, tickets for evening/night IMAX 3D shows during the first four days cost over 3,000 rupees.

Globally, 'Ramayana' has already surpassed 100 crore rupees in advance sales, ensuring it a long weekend with high demand. In international markets, advance sales have reached over 40 crore rupees, bringing the total global advance sales to approximately 140 crore rupees. North America leads in this regard, where over $3 million (28.42 crore rupees) was earned after the paid preview on November 4th.

In the US alone, 'Ramayana' sold over 51,000 tickets for its opening weekend. Thus, it surpassed Indian blockbusters such as Ranbir Kapoor's 'Animal' (24,000), Shah Rukh Khan's 'Jawan' (28,000), Allu Arjun's 'Pushpa 2: The Rule' (35,000), Jr NTR and Ram Charan's 'RRR' (35,000), Prabhas' 'Baahubali 2: The Conclusion' (39,000), and 'Kalki 2898 AD' (40,000).

'Ramayana' now only trails 'Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge' by Ranveer Singh, which sold over 52,000 tickets in the US during its opening weekend earlier this year. At current trends, its box office collection in the US is projected to be between 13 million and 14 million dollars (123 to 133 crore rupees), allowing it to challenge 'Dhurandhar 2's' collection ($14 million) for the opening weekend.

It is forecasted that 'Ramayana' will collect 160 crore rupees worldwide on November 5th, surpassing the global collections of Shah Rukh Khan's blockbusters 'Pathaan' and 'Jawan'. Nevertheless, it still lags behind 'Dhurandhar 2', which collected more globally.