'It's Ramayan, not Ramayana': Industrialist blasts Ranbir-starrer, gets schooled instead
What's the story
The title of the upcoming Hindi film Ramayana, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi, has sparked a debate on social media. Industrialist Nikhil Chitale questioned the anglicized version of the title and demanded it be changed to preserve Indian culture and linguistic authenticity. He took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his frustration, writing: "It's Ramayan, not Ramayana. It's Ram, not Rama." "We need to avoid the anglicization of our words. Our heritage doesn't need a colonial accent."
Social media reaction
Netizens debated how adding the 'a' is not anglicization
Chitale's post sparked a debate among netizens. One user explained the difference between Hindi and South Indian pronunciations, saying, "For the billionth time, Hindi has schwa deletion cutting off a from Sanskrit words." Another user defended the title by stating that Kannada adds an 'a' at the end of almost every word without being influenced by English. The film is produced by Namit Malhotra.
Twitter Post
Twitter users spoke about schwa deletion in Indo-Aryan languages
A new day, and a new opportunity to remind everyone about Schwa deletion in Indo-Aryan languages. https://t.co/Oey29ZxJop pic.twitter.com/gngz1XB1gt
— Siddharth (@DearthOfSid) July 4, 2025
Film details
Most expensive Indian film ever
While the debate continued online, makers are determined to keep fans buzzing with updates. Ramayana: The Introduction and its sequel Ramayana: The Conclusion are produced by Malhotra and have a massive budget of ₹1,600cr, making it the most expensive Indian film ever made. The first part is scheduled for Diwali 2026 release, while Ramayana: The Conclusion is being filmed and is slated for release in Diwali 2027.