6 Hour ‘Ramayana’: Nitesh Tiwari’s Biggest Test?

Bollywood’s blockbuster franchise Dhurandhar proved that the length of a movie is not a liability if viewers are engrossed with the narrative. The total duration of two parts is more than 7 hours. Yet, moviegoers did not complain and enjoyed both films thoroughly because of the gripping narration. 

Now, Ranbir Kapoor’s upcoming mythological spectacle ‘Ramayana’ is said to be around six hours in duration. Though the total run time is for two parts, director Nitesh Tiwari will have a challenging task to make sure that audiences are invested into the story. 

Indian cinema has witnessed so many adaptations of Ramayana till date. But, not every attempt to reimagine the iconic story has ended up as a success. The most recent one, Prabhas’ Adipurush also turned out to be a huge disappointment due to poor visuals and monotonous storytelling. 

So, runtime will play a pivotal role in deciding the fate of Ramayana. Even if each part will have a duration of three hours, keeping audiences glued to screens while narrating a well known story is itself a very tough challenge and needs a commendable output in all aspects. 

Furthermore, the two part formula is another risky proportion because of the long gap between both films. Also, the first part should end on a convincing note so that the next film will create strong anticipation among moviegoers. Otherwise, it will be a colossal mistake to make it in two parts.