'Kick in the crotches of...Bollywoodians': Ram Gopal Varma praises 'Ramayana'
What's the story
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has given a glowing review of Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana Part 1, calling it the "opening statement of a new standard for Indian cinema." He declared that every movie made after November 5 will now be measured against this one. In his review, Varma particularly praised Yash's portrayal of Ravana and defended Ranbir Kapoor's performance as Lord Ram.
Performance praise
'Yash's Ravana is not a performance of the year...'
Varma wrote on X, "Yash's Ravana is not a performance of the year, but it is of many decades."
"I say that because I simply can't remember anything I ever saw with his kind of electrifying effect ever since I started watching cinema."
He also lauded Sridhar Raghavan's writing for Ravana, calling him not a typical villain but someone who gained power through penance, intelligence, and refusal to submit.
Twitter Post
See Varma's post here
Watched #Ramayana for the 2nd time and incidentally I am an atheist and so this analysis is from a film watcher and not as a ram bhakt
— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) November 11, 2026
While other reviews grudgingly note its scale and then hedge with “but the soul is missing” or “music could be better ,” etc , what they are…
Character analysis
'Critics who wanted constant emoting from Ranbir...'
Varma also defended Kapoor's portrayal of Lord Ram, which some critics found too subdued.
He wrote, "Critics who wanted constant emoting from Ranbir, saying he's got the same expression throughout, are missing the point that Ram is defined by what he withholds and not by what he expresses."
"When he finally acts, it's not his arrows alone which find their mark, but more than that it's his principles which pierce."
Director's credit
Varma says music score 'did not compete with the imagery'
Varma also credited director Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra.
He said, "This is Namit Malhotra's slap on the faces and a kick in the crotches of Bollywoodians to wake them up from their lazy slumberness to show them what all is possible it there's a will."
He defended the score by Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman.
"What I loved about @HansZimmer and @arrahman is that they did not compete with the imagery but they rather flowed with it."
Runtime defense
'A film that can be watched by families, youngsters'
Varma also addressed criticism about the film's runtime, arguing that it was essential to establish the stakes of the narrative.
He added, "I love Tiwari because he refuses to cheapen the moral stakes and turn the story into a masala action drama, and the result of that conviction of his is a film that can be watched by families, youngsters, Gen Z etc etc and still hit the front benchers of the small and tiny towns."
Global impact
'Whatever film will be made after November 5...'
Varma concluded his review, saying, "This is the first ever Indian film that can stand above each and every large-scale international production with its head held high and with an immense pride."
"That's because it does not borrow the language of the Lord of the Rings or Avatar."
"Whatever film will be made after November 5 will now be measured against it," he wrote.
"And the only thing which will destroy Ramayana Part 1 will be Ramayana Part 2."