The Biggest Twist In The Ramayana CGI Debate May Not Come From India, But China

The trolls saw video-game forests, glossy demons and too much CGI.

The makers of Ramayana may see something else: a chance to test India's biggest mythological gamble in one of the world's most valuable theatrical markets.

After weeks of online sniping over its visual effects, the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer has continued to divide viewers. Some praised its scale and ambition. Others found its digitally created environments too artificial, its demon designs too glossy and its CGI too dominant.

But the more intriguing answer to the VFX debate may be unfolding far beyond India, in China.

China's box office generated about $7.4 billion in 2025. It is a market where audiences have repeatedly embraced giant mythological worlds, supernatural creatures, divine battles and visually extravagant fantasy.

That does not mean Chinese viewers will automatically embrace Ramayana.

But it makes China a potentially significant test of whether the very visuals criticised by some Indian viewers could find a different audience abroad.

The VFX Debate Around Ramayana

Ever since its early footage arrived, Ramayana has faced scrutiny over its visual effects, character designs and digitally created environments.

Some viewers praised the film's large-scale imagination and global ambition. Others criticised the forests and backgrounds, calling them flat, artificial or overly polished. The lighting and compositing also drew complaints from viewers who felt the actors did not always blend naturally into the digital settings.

Creature designs, particularly early glimpses of Kumbhakarna and the demon army, became another flashpoint. Comparisons with Adipurush followed almost immediately, despite Ramayana having a much larger reported budget and the involvement of DNEG.

Yash later acknowledged that the film was still a work in progress and said the team would continue trying to improve it.

The later trailer sparked another round of mixed reactions. Some viewers felt the visual effects had improved. Others remained unconvinced by the film's dependence on CGI-heavy spectacle.

China could provide a very different test.

Why China Matters

China does not merely tolerate fantasy spectacle. It has built enormous theatrical hits around it.

Chinese audiences have shown a strong appetite for mythology, supernatural worlds, demons, immortals, magical weapons, spiritual powers and large-scale digital action. Genres such as xianxia, wuxia and Chinese mythological fantasy have turned folklore and ancient legends into modern mainstream entertainment.

The xianxia genre, in particular, revolves around immortals, divine beings, demons, reincarnation, spiritual cultivation and cosmic battles. It is filled with bright colours, elaborate costumes, fantasy creatures and computer-generated landscapes.

Films such as Monster Hunt and the Ne Zha franchise have shown how indigenous mythology can become huge commercial spectacle.

Ne Zha 2 crossed $2.2 billion worldwide, becoming one of the biggest box-office phenomena in modern Chinese cinema.

Seen through that lens, Ramayana's digital forests, celestial weapons, giant creatures and demon armies may not look like excess. They may look like a visual language that Chinese audiences already understand.

That is not a guarantee of success. Chinese audiences are selective, foreign releases face regulatory barriers and VFX scale alone does not create a hit.

But it explains why China could be more than just another overseas territory for Ramayana.

The China Release Question

Producer Namit Malhotra has said the makers are in discussions to bring Ramayana to China.

"Of course, worldwide release includes China. We are in talks and the last few formalities are being done," Malhotra told NDTV.

If those approvals are secured, Ramayana will enter a theatrical market that generated around $7.4 billion in 2026.

That matters because China has previously transformed the global fortunes of Indian films.

Nitesh Tiwari's Dangal became a historic success there, earning roughly Rs 1,300 crore in China. The number far exceeds what most Indian films make across their entire worldwide runs.

Other Indian films have also found major audiences in the country. Secret Superstar, Andhadhun, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Hindi Medium all recorded strong China box-office performances.

More recently, Vijay Sethupathi's Tamil thriller Maharaja released in China in late 2024 and earned around Rs 91 to 92 crore.

If Ramayana secures release clearance, it could become one of the first major Indian theatrical releases in China since Maharaja.

For trade analyst Taran Adarsh, the logic extends far beyond one territory.

"We need to release films in as many markets as possible. I'm not just talking about China, even non-traditional markets. It's important to step outside your comfort zone or those conventional territories and exploit those markets because there is huge potential," Adarsh told NDTV.

"Releasing the film in China, or any other territory which has not really opened up for India in the last few years, is a great idea."

Emotion Versus Spectacle

The Indian films that succeeded in China were not giant visual-effects productions.

Dangal was a father-daughter story about ambition, sport and social restrictions. Secret Superstar followed a young girl chasing a musical dream while dealing with control at home. Bajrangi Bhaijaan was built around the emotional bond between an Indian man and a Pakistani child.

They travelled because their emotional conflicts were easy to understand.

Ramayana would be attempting a different route: mythology, fantasy, scale and spectacle.

Its central themes are universal enough to travel: exile, loyalty, sacrifice, family, love, honour and the battle between good and evil. But Chinese audiences will not necessarily arrive with the cultural familiarity Indian viewers have with Rama, Sita, Ravana, Hanuman and Lakshmana.

That makes localisation crucial.

Dubbing, subtitling, marketing and trailers will have to establish the emotional stakes without making the story feel like an unfamiliar parade of gods, demons and battles.

The challenge is to make Ramayana accessible without stripping away what makes it distinctly Indian.

The Global Release Bet

From the outset, Ramayana has been positioned as a global project rather than a Hindi film designed mainly for domestic audiences.

The two-part epic stars Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Ravi Dubey as Lakshmana.

The project is backed by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios and DNEG. It is reportedly being prepared in multiple localised versions, including English and Japanese, as part of a broader international strategy.

Sony Pictures is handling the film's international distribution. Reports have claimed that the makers are aiming for an overseas rollout of more than 50,000 screens.

However, territory-wise release plans, final screen counts and China clearance remain subject to confirmation.

North America, Britain and the Middle East have traditionally been the most reliable overseas markets for Indian cinema. Films such as Baahubali and RRR showed that Indian spectacle can reach audiences well beyond the diaspora.

Adarsh believes the attempt to reach new territories is part of a larger shift.

"You are actually exploring a market and competing with the biggest names in Hollywood," he said.

China, however, offers a bigger prize and a bigger risk.

Foreign films face release restrictions, competition from heavily promoted local productions and the challenge of building interest among viewers unfamiliar with Indian stars and mythology.

Getting a release date is only the beginning. The film would still need screens, strong local marketing and audience curiosity.

Can Ramayana Beat Dangal?

The comparison with Dangal is unavoidable.

Both films are directed by Nitesh Tiwari. But the two projects could not be more different.

Dangal needed no knowledge of Indian mythology. Its conflict was simple and immediate: a strict father, two daughters, a conservative society and a dream of sporting success.

Ramayana arrives with a vast universe of characters, symbolism and cultural expectations. Indian audiences know the story before entering the theatre. International audiences may need to learn its world in real time.

That makes a Dangal-level performance in China difficult to predict.

Asked whether Ramayana could surpass Dangal's China collection, Adarsh declined to make an early call.

"It's too early to say. There are still a few months to go for the release," he said.

A strong release could radically expand Ramayana's worldwide collections. A weak release would underline the limits of assuming that visual spectacle can cross cultural borders on its own.

A Test Bigger Than Box Office

A successful China run would mean more than a large worldwide number.

It would test whether Indian cinema can export mythology at the scale Hollywood exports superheroes and China exports its fantasy traditions.

It would test whether a story deeply rooted in Indian cultural memory can be made legible to global audiences without being diluted.

And it may answer the question Indian social media has been arguing over for months.

Were Ramayana's VFX Too Artificial?

Or were they simply designed for an audience larger than the one judging the first trailer?

China may not offer an easy answer.

But if the release goes through, it could become the place where Ramayana's biggest gamble is finally tested.

Also Read | Why Is Ramayana Releasing On Different Dates In India And Overseas? Producer Namit Malhotra Explains