Entertainment: The rumor mill has been buzzing ever since SS Rajamouli and James Cameron’s much-talked-about meeting at an awards ceremony. Cameron openly expressed his excitement about Indian cinema and even hinted at a potential collaboration with Rajamouli, fueling speculation about Cameron’s involvement in Rajamouli’s upcoming film, Varanasi.
During the first reveal event for Varanasi, many expected James Cameron to make an appearance and be a part of the grand launch. But that didn’t happen. Later, as the third installment of the blockbuster Avatar franchise, Avatar: Fire and Ash, was gearing up for release, fans hoped that a glimpse of Varanasi would be attached to Avatar’s global theatrical run. The idea was that this would give the film massive international exposure. But that’s not happening either. However, things are looking positive for Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana.
The initial glimpse of Ramayana, released a few months ago, garnered attention for its scale and visual grandeur. Now, audiences will get their first big-screen experience of the film through a specially designed 3D promo, which will be attached to the theatrical run of Avatar: Fire and Ash. Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third film in the franchise, following Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), with Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña reprising their roles as Jake Sully and Neytiri.
The visuals for Ramayana are being handled by DNEG, the eight-time Oscar-winning VFX studio that also worked on the previous glimpse released in July. Avatar 3 is known for its immersive theatrical experience, so the makers consider it the perfect platform to introduce Ramayana in 3D for the first time. Avengers: Doomsday and The Odyssey have also been confirmed to be screened globally alongside Avatar 3. It remains to be seen what kind of response the Ramayana 3D promo receives alongside such major global titles.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana is being made on a massive budget of ₹4,000 crore. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman, Yash as Ravana, and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. The music is being composed by AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer. This two-part epic film is scheduled for release on Diwali 2026 and Diwali 2027.
