Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.telegraphindia.com
Producer Namit
Malhotra says he is not worried about ensuring that his massive investment in Ramayana pays
off only through box office sales.
The massive two-part epic Ramayana opened to a decent response before picking up
strong momentum through its opening weekend. Mounted on a staggering Rs
4,000-crore budget, the film has collected Rs 664 crore worldwide within five
days of its release.
In an interview with CNN, Malhotra expressed absolute confidence in the
property’s multi-format potential, saying, “I’m not motivated by the
bean-counter logic of, ‘How much money did we make or not make’.”
“If we don’t make money with the movies, we’ll make it in the
merchandise. If we don’t make it in the merchandise, we’ll make it in the theme
park. If we don’t make it in the theme park, we’ll make it some other way,” he
added.
In an earlier conversation with CNN, Malhotra said, “I don’t want
to sound spiritual as a businessman. But honestly … you can’t do this right and
not succeed. To me, there’s one fundamental truth: that if we do Ramayana
well, and if people like it, financially we’ll be fine. That’s my fundamental
belief. There’s no way to argue it. There’s no way to debate it. And I don’t
think anybody in the world is smart enough to counter it with scientific or
commercial logic.”
This broader vision for the franchise was also a focal point at
the film’s Telugu pre-release event in Hyderabad, where Malhotra emphasised
that the project was conceptualised to transcend traditional cinema.
“The word Ramayana, as we all know, is really a philosophy. It is
a word that we have grown up with. All of us have, from our fathers, our
grandfathers, our multi-generations have known the story of an epic called the
Ramayana. When we were conceiving this, this was not meant to be just a film.
This was meant to be much more than that,” he explained.
Outlining plans to keep audiences engaged long after the films
conclude—with the second instalment slated for a 2028 release—he further said,
“The idea is not to make one or two movies and stop the journey of Rama. In
fact, it is to start this journey. On the back of this movie, we can actually
start to open up the different areas of engagement.”
Accompanying a behind-the-scenes preview at the Hyderabad event,
the makers detailed an expansive multi-media rollout. This comprehensive
universe will feature video games, extensive merchandise spanning apparel,
toys, gadgets, and home furnishings, television spin-offs, origin films, and
animated projects.
Additionally, audiences can look forward to theme park
experiences, a Broadway musical adaptation, and cutting-edge virtual reality,
augmented reality, and metaverse integrations.
Directed by
Nitesh Tiwari, the massive two-part epic was released in theatres on November
5. Featuring Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as
Ravana, it has an ensemble cast including Ravie Dubey, Lara Dutta, and Arun
Govil.
