The much-awaited Ramayana is being mounted as a cinematic spectacle for both Indian and international audiences, but the film will not be exactly the same in every market. Sources have confirmed to NDTV that the English version of Ramayana will reportedly be around 30 minutes shorter than the Hindi cut.
The international version is expected to have a more concise runtime, with certain portions of the film trimmed for overseas theatrical audiences. The English-language cut will also reportedly not feature songs, making it significantly different from the Indian-language versions of the film.
The move is understood to be part of the makers' larger strategy to present the epic to a global audience in a format that is more familiar to international theatrical viewers. Rather than simply dubbing the Hindi film into English, the global version is being tailored to suit the viewing habits and expectations of audiences outside India. Reports on the international cut have also stated that select scenes will be trimmed along with the removal of the songs.
For Indian audiences, however, music will remain an important part of the Ramayana experience. The Hindi and other Indian-language versions are expected to retain the musical portions of the film. The makers have already begun building anticipation around the music, with Jai Jai Ram, composed by A.R. Rahman, released as the first song from the film. The track features vocals by Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal, with lyrics by Kumar Vishwas.
The decision to create different versions comes as Ramayana attempts something far more ambitious than a conventional Indian film release. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra and Yash, the two-part epic has been mounted on a reported combined budget of around Rs 4,000 crore. The production is being positioned on a massive international scale, with DNEG leading its visual effects and the film being made for premium formats including IMAX.
The film features Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravi Dubey as Lakshmana and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. The ensemble also includes several prominent names in pivotal roles.
Ramayana is planned as a two-part theatrical saga, with the first part scheduled for a worldwide release in November 2026 and the second part slated for Diwali 2027. The film is being released not just across major Indian languages but is also being localised for international markets. Namit Malhotra has previously spoken about the makers' plan to localise the film in languages including English, Spanish and Japanese, using technology to preserve the characters' performances rather than relying only on conventional dubbing.
The Hindi film will also be made available in major Indian languages including Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada, while the global strategy extends to markets such as Japan, China and Spanish-speaking territories.
That makes the 30-minute difference between the Hindi and English cuts more than just a runtime change. It reflects how the makers are attempting to package the same epic for two very different theatrical audiences, with Indian viewers getting the fuller musical experience, while international audiences get a tighter, song-free version of Ramayana.
