‘Ramayana’: ‘KGF’ star Yash teams up with Namit Malhotra for Nitesh Tiwari’s epic Indian saga

Indian actor-producer Yash's Monster Mind Creations and producer Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios have collaborated on an adaptation of the Indian epic ‘Ramayana’ for global audiences.

The film will be directed by Nitesh Tiwari, known for ‘Dangal,’ the highest-grossing Indian film of all time.

Yash is renowned for the ‘K.G.F.’ action film franchise, with its second part being the fourth-highest-grossing Indian film ever.

Malhotra's recent credit includes ‘Fighter,’ the highest-grossing Indian film of 2024 so far. He is also the global CEO of visual effects company DNEG, which has contributed to seven VFX Oscar-winning films, including ‘Dune: Part One’ and ‘Tenet.’

Over 60 film and TV adaptations of the mythological epic ‘Ramayana,’ a timeless story of good triumphing over evil, have been produced, including Indian, anime, and Thai versions. Malhotra has been working on a big-screen adaptation for years and connected with Yash, finding a shared vision for the project.

Malhotra said: ‘After years spent living between the U.S., the U.K. and India, building a business that has achieved unparalleled commercial success and more Oscar wins in the last 10 years than any other company, my personal journey has led me to the point that I feel ready to do justice to the incredible story of ‘Ramayana,’ treating it with the due care and reverence that it deserves. My challenges from the start have been two-fold: to respect the sanctity of a tale, which is held in such high regard by all of us who grew up with it, while also bringing it to the world in such a way that this incredible story is embraced by international audiences as a compelling big screen experience. In Yash I recognise a similar aspiration to share the best of our culture with the world. Inspired by his journey from Karnataka to the incredible international success of ‘K.G.F: Chapter 2,’ I can’t think of a better partner to help create a major global impact with this, the greatest of all our stories.’

Yash added: ‘It has been my long-term aspiration to make films that will showcase Indian cinema on a global level. In pursuit of that, I was in L.A. to ally with one of the best VFX studios, and to my amazement, the driving force behind it was a fellow Indian. Namit and I had various ideation sessions, and coincidentally, our synergy on the vision for Indian cinema aligned perfectly. We brainstormed various projects, and during these discussions, the subject of ‘Ramayana’ came up. Namit had a part of it in the works. The ‘Ramayana,’ as a subject, deeply resonates with me and I had an approach in my mind for it. By joining forces to co-produce ‘Ramayana’ we are bringing together our collective vision and experience to create an Indian film that will ignite excitement and passion in audiences across the world.’

Malhotra said: ‘Our interpretation will be told without compromise and presented in such a way that Indian hearts will swell with pride to see their culture brought to the rest of the world in this way. We are assembling the very best global talent – from our filmmakers, to our stars, to our crews, to our backers and investors – to tell this epic story with the care, attention, and conviction that it deserves. I am incredibly proud of what we are creating, and I cannot wait for the world to experience the very best of Indian culture and storytelling on cinema screens across the globe.’

The cast and crew of ‘Ramayana’ will be announced soon.

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