Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar has praised Ranbir Kapoor and Yash for their performances in Ramayana, adding his voice to the chorus of industry praise for Nitesh Tiwari’s epic adaptation. Bhandarkar’s comments, reported on Tuesday, 10 November, come as the film continues its record-breaking run at the box office.
Ramayana, which arrived in cinemas on 5 November, features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Goddess Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravi Dubey as Lakshmana and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman. The film has already crossed the Rs 300 crore mark in India within five days of release, and recorded the highest first Monday collection ever in India, with Rs 107.5 crore on day five alone.
Praise from a fellow filmmaker
Bhandarkar, known for films including Chandni Bar, Page 3 and Fashion, is one of Bollywood’s most respected directors, and his praise carries weight within the industry. His comments on Kapoor and Yash’s performances add to a growing list of endorsements from filmmakers and actors who have seen the film and praised its scale, its performances and its faithfulness to the epic.
The film’s success has been driven by its performances as much as its spectacle. Kapoor’s portrayal of Rama and Yash’s turn as Ravana have been singled out in reviews and audience reactions, with both actors praised for bringing depth to characters that could easily have become one-dimensional in a film of this scale.
A film that keeps breaking records
Ramayana is planned as a two-part cinematic adaptation, with the reported combined budget of both instalments estimated at around Rs 4,000 crore — a figure that remains a reported estimate, not a studio-confirmed number. Salman Khan, speaking at the trailer launch of his own film Maatrubhumi on 6 November, urged audiences to focus on the story rather than the budget, saying the discussion should be about Ram, Ravana and Sita, not visual effects and the cost of production.
Bhandarkar’s praise, coming from a director known for realistic, grounded cinema rather than spectacle, is a reminder that Ramayana’s success is not only about its scale. For Kapoor and Yash, the endorsement is another mark of a film that has already made history — and, with a second part still to come, may have more records to break.
Related: Ramayana Is World’s No. 2 Film of the Weekend With $52M
