Much has been said and written about Nitesh Tiwari’s highly anticipated ‘Ramayana‘ film, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi in the lead roles. With just months to go before the film’s highly anticipated release on Diwali, November 8, 2026, a new detail has come to light about the film’s final runtime.
‘Ramayana’ runtime revealed?
Amid buzz that fans will be in for a three-hour-long epic on the big screen, a listing on China’s major movie database platform Douban, has now seemingly revealed the official runtime. As per screenshots of the site, ‘Ramayana’ is said to be approximately 2 hours and 46 minutes long.The film has reportedly been listed among upcoming releases, with a tentative runtime of 166 minutes. However, the runtime has not been officially confirmed by the makers and could change before the film’s theatrical release. It is also unclear if this is the censored version to be screened in China.
Ranbir Kapoor reveals ‘Ramayana’ has 6-hours footage
In April, Ranbir Kapoor revealed during the film’s promotion, that the project has approximately six hours of footage that will be divided across two films. In his interview with Collider, Kapoor described ‘Ramayana’ as an ambitious epic on the scale of ‘The Lord of the Rings’. He said, “It’s nothing less than Lord of the Rings. It’s our greatest epic spectacle coming from our country, and this was just a teaser. We have six hours of epic visuals and epic action sequences, emotions. It teaches you to be a better son, a better husband, a better brother. It’s the triumph of good over evil. There are so many different layers of storytelling happening with this film that I’m, really excited for people to sample it.”If the reported 6-hour total runtime is accurate, it could also indicate that the runtime for the two-part saga will not be divided equally between the two films.
‘Ramayana’ vs ‘The Lord of the Rings’
‘The Lord of the Rings’ saga reportedly had a runtime of 557 to 558 minutes (about 9 hours and 17 minutes) for the theatrical versions, and 682 to 726 minutes (about 11.4 to 12 hours) for the extended editions.
‘Ramayana’ plot and release date
As per the Chinese listing, the plot summary of ‘Ramayana’ reads, “The first trailer for the epic Indian film Ramayana: The Legend of the Prince has been released! Ravana, the demon king, wreaks havoc across the three realms, while Vishnu, incarnated as Rama, descends to protect all beings. During his fourteen years of exile, Rama vanquishes Ravana, igniting Ravana’s fury. The abduction of his wife Sita further fuels Rama’s fighting spirit! When the vengeful king meets the guardian deity, a fateful battle spanning the three realms is about to erupt! Directed by Nitesh Tiwari (Dangal) and featuring a score by legendary composer Hans Zimmer, the film will be released globally in November 2026. Stay tuned!”‘Ramayana’ will have a worldwide release on November 6 and is also slated to release in China in November.
