Sunny Deol urges every Indian to watch Ramayana: 'No less than any Hollywood movie'

Sunny Deol, who plays Hanuman in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, took to his Instagram handle to heap praises on the Indian epic's adaptation.

Sunny Deol, who plays Hanuman in Nitesh Tiwari's film adaptation of the Indian epic Ramayana, is overwhelmed by the big-screen retelling. The actor, who has only a brief appearance at the end of Ramayana Part 1, took to his Instagram handle on Saturday to share his thoughts after watching it, and his limited screen time didn't stop him from promoting the film wholeheartedly.

Sunny Deol urges every Indian to watch Ramayana

"I've just come back from watching my Ramayana, and I liked it very, very much! I want every Indian to go and watch it because this film is no less than any Hollywood movie. In fact, I'd say it's even better," said Sunny in a selfie video he shared on Instagram with the caption, "Jai Shree Ram."

The actor also praised the visual effects of Ramayana, created by Namit Malhotra's DNEG, which is also a co-producer of the film, claiming that they transport the audience seamlessly to the era the epic is set in. "Every actor has done very good work. So, I request -- not request, I insist -- all of you to go and watch the film. Jai Shree Ram," he concluded.

Ramayana Part 1, directed by Nitesh Tiwari and adapted for the screen by him and Shridhar Raghavan, is only the first part of the duology, which Namit Malhotra hinted could also turn into a trilogy depending on the audience response. The first part ends when Rama (Ranbir Kapoor) and Lakshman (Ravie Dubey) find out through Jatayu (voiced by Anupam Kher) that the former's wife Sita (Sai Pallavi) has been abducted to Lanka by the chief antagonist Ravana (Yash).

As the end credits roll after that, the audience gets to witness a glimpse of Hanuman, who's seen taking a leap from the cliff of a mountain and chanting, "Jai Shree Ram." The end credits then introduce Sunny Deol as Hanuman. While the first part only offered this blink-and-miss cameo by the actor, he'll have a longer, more prominent role in the second part, slated to release in cinemas worldwide in 2028.

Ramayana makers warn against piracy

Meanwhile, the official X handle of Ramayana shared a note on Saturday night, warning the audience from recording, sharing, and leaking the film's content on social media and messaging platforms. "The Hon'ble Bombay High Court, by orders dated November 2 and November 6, has restrained all persons, known and unknown, from recording, uploading, sharing or otherwise communicating the film or any part of it without authorization," it stated.

"Doing so is copyright infringement, a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment and fine under the Copyright Act, 1957, the Cinematograph Act 1952, the BNS, 2023, and the IT Act 2000, and a contempt of court. All persons are strictly directed to refrain from recording, posting or sharing any such content, and to delete anything already posted. Offenders will be reported to the authorities and the platforms, and will face civil and criminal proceedings without further notice," added the note by Team Ramayana.

This note was shared after clips from Ramayana Part 1, including the cameos of Hanuman and Ravana's son Meghnad (Raghav Juyal), were leaked by the audience on social media. Co-produced by DNEG and Yash's Monster Mind Creations, Ramayana also stars Arun Govil as Dasharatha, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Vivek Oberoi as Vidyuthjiva, Rakul Preet Singh as Shurpanakha, and Shobana as Kaikesi among others.

With the score and music by AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer, who makes his Indian film debut, Ramayana released this past Friday, three days before Diwali. Over the first three days, it's amassed over Rs 375 crore at the worldwide box office. Distributed overseas by Sony Pictures International and in North India by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, it's mounted on a budget of Rs 4000 crore.