Not Varanasi, But Ramayana with Avatar!

Ever since the much-talked-about meeting between SS Rajamouli and James Cameron at one of the award ceremonies, speculation has been rife. Cameron had openly expressed his excitement about Indian cinema and even hinted at a possible collaboration with Rajamouli, which led to growing buzz around Cameron’s involvement in Rajamouli’s upcoming film, Varanasi.

During the first reveal event of Varanasi, many expected James Cameron to make an appearance and be part of the grand launch. That did not happen. Later, as Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third instalment in the blockbuster Avatar franchise, began gearing up for release, fans anticipated that a glimpse of Varanasi would be attached to Avatar’s global theatrical run. The idea was that it would give the film massive international exposure. That, too, is not happening. However, things are turning out positively for Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana.

The introductory glimpse of Ramayana, released a few months ago, grabbed attention for its scale and visual grandeur. Now, audiences will get their first big-screen experience of the film through a specially designed 3D promo that will be attached to Avatar: Fire and Ash during its theatrical run. Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third film in the franchise, following Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña, who reprise their roles as Jake Sully and Neytiri.

The visuals for Ramayana are being handled by DNEG, the eight-time Oscar-winning VFX studio that also worked on the earlier glimpse released in July. With Avatar 3 known for its immersive theatrical experience, the makers see this as the ideal platform to present Ramayana in 3D for the first time.

Avengers: Doomsday and The Odyssey are also confirmed to be screened with Avatar 3 globally. It remains to be seen what kind of response Ramayana’s 3D promo will receive alongside such major global titles.

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana is being made on a massive budget of ₹4,000 crore. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman, Yash as Ravana and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. Music is being composed by AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer. The two-part epic is slated for release during Diwali 2026 and Diwali 2027.