Vivek Oberoi says Rs 4,000 cr Ramayana films will be ‘India’s answer to Hollywood epics’; to donate his fee for playing Vibhishna

Ramayana is touted as the most expensive Indian film project ever undertaken and producer Namit Malhotra once revealed that the two-part saga would cost them about Rs 4,000 crore.

Ramayana features Ranbir Kapoor and Yash as Rama and Ravana, respectively. (Credit: Facebook/@Prime.Focus.India, @vivekoberoi)

While most big-budget, highly anticipated Indian movies have often faced intense criticism following the release of their initial promotional materials — the most recent examples being the backlash against Kalki 2898 AD’s poster and Adipurush’s teaser over perceived shoddy CGI — director Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana set a new standard with its announcement video. Not only did the teaser receive widespread acclaim for its technical quality, but it also significantly amplified the hype.

Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, and Yash as Rama, Sita, and Ravana, respectively, Ramayana is planned as a two-part movie. Now, Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi, who plays Vibhishna, the younger brother of Ravana, has opened up about the project, opining that it will be on par with Hollywood epics. He also mentioned that he will utilise his fee from the project for a good cause.

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“I told Namit (producer Namit Malhotra) that I don’t want a penny for this. I want to donate it to a cause I believe in: helping kids with cancer. I think Ramayana will be a landmark film for our industry. It’s India’s answer to Hollywood epics. The story, the visuals, and the intent behind it make it very special,” he said during a conversation with Hindustan Times.

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Currently under production, Ramayana is touted as the most expensive Indian film project ever undertaken. Namit Malhotra himself once revealed that the two-part saga would cost them about Rs 4,000 crore by the time it’s wrapped up. “When we set out to make it, six, seven years ago, just after the pandemic, when we started to really get serious about mounting it and producing it, and budget-wise, it was like everybody thought I’m a lunatic. Because no Indian film, by a long distance, comes close to it. So, to put it simply, it’ll be about $500 million by the time we’re done, on both films put together, part one and part two, which is over Rs 4,000 crore,” he said during a conversation with Prakhar Gupta.

Watch Ramayana teaser here:

He added, “So, I say it like this: we’re making the largest film in the world for the greatest story, the greatest epic, that the world should see. And I still think it’s cheaper than what it cost to make some of the biggest Hollywood films. So I think we’re making a bigger film at a lower cost. Because that Indian in me still believes that we’re not being irresponsible financially. We’re not being irresponsible with money.”

Going by Namit’s words, Ramayana may become one of the most expensive films ever made in the world. It will be released in two parts, with the first scheduled to hit screens during Diwali 2026 and the second at the same time the following year. Also starring Ravie Dubey as Lakshman and Sunny Deol as Hanuman, Ramayana boasts music by Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman, and lyrics by Kumar Vishwas.

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