Long before Ranbir Kapoor stepped into the role of Lord Ram in the Nitesh Tiwari-directed ‘Ramayana‘, Bollywood had made several ambitious attempts to bring the ancient epic to the big screen. Over the past decades, several projects promised a star-studded cast, big budgets and grand cinematic scale, but despite the hype, none ever reached theatres.Filmmakers including Sohail Khan, Rajkumar Santoshi and Sanjay Khan had all announced their own versions of the Ramayana, with each generating considerable excitement. However, all seemed to have hit various roadblocks along the way.With ‘Ramayana’ finally set to release on November 6, 2026, here’s a look back at the epic adaptations that never made it to the big screen.
Salman Khan and Sonali Bendre’s ‘Ramayana’
Back in the 1990s, Sohail Khan planned a big-screen adaptation of the epic, which would reportedly feature Salman Khan as Lord Ram and Sonali Bendre as Sita. According to reports, nearly 40 per cent of the film had already been shot before the ambitious project was abandoned.Although the exact reasons were never officially revealed, the film was ultimately shelved.
Rajkumar Santoshi’s film that never took Off
Years later, filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi stepped up to announce his adaptation with an ensemble cast reportedly led by Ajay Devgn as Lord Ram, Kajol as Sita, Riteish Deshmukh as Lakshman and Prakash Raj as Ravana. The announcement generated tremendous buzz, but the project never moved beyond the planning stages.According to reports, the film was shelved due to its staggering budget and the scheduling commitments of the film’s leading man. Both the actors and director went on to work on other projects.
Hrithik Roshan was set to play Lord Rama
Years after he wooed the audience as the superhero Krrish, Hrithik was set to play the role of Lord Ram in Sanjay Khan’s ‘The Legend of Rama’, announced in 2008. Mounted on a reported budget of Rs 50 crore, the film was set to feature Roshan as Lord Ram, opposite Zayed Khan as Lakshman and Amitabh Bachchan as King Dashrath.Speaking about the project in a 2008 interview, Zayed even confirmed that the film, its title and admitted that it had been in the planning stage for the last three years. The screenplay was also being developed with the involvement of UK-based author Farrukh Dhondy, further raising expectations around the ambitious production.However, despite the impressive line-up, the film never entered production, reportedly due to financial challenges.
Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Ramayana’ spent nearly a decade in the making
Although Nitesh Tiwari is now gearing up for the release of his film on the big screen. However, even Tiwari had to wait it out for nearly a decade to see his vision come to life. While promoting his film, the director revealed that he began conceptualising Ramayana around 2015, and spent nearly seven to ten years on research, writing, screenplay development and ensuring the authenticity of the dialogues before the film entered production.During the early stages of development, numerous casting rumours surfaced, including speculation that Mahesh Babu would play Lord Ram.However, then co-producer Madhu Mantena dismissed those reports during a 2021 interview with ETimes. “If we wanted to make Ramayan with Mahesh, we would wait for him. But we are still in the process; Mahesh is wonderful, but whether to cast him is something for Nitesh to decide.”Mantena was initially attached to the project as a producer but reportedly exited Ramayana in 2024 due to financial considerations.‘Ramayana’, was eventually made on a budget of Rs 4,000 crore, backed by producer Namit Malhotra. The two-part epic stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. The film will release in theatres on November 6, 2026, with Part 2 scheduled for Diwali 2027. As per reports, the film will also have the widest release for an Indian film and will hit approximately 50,000 screens worldwide.
