With the release of Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Ramayana: Part 1’ inching closer this Diwali, its makers have locked a major distribution deal for the Indian market. Co-producers Namit Malhotra’s DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations have partnered with Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, which will distribute the mythological epic across India. The ambitious two-part saga is reportedly mounted on a staggering budget of Rs 4,000 crore.Karan Johar’s production house has steadily built a strong track record in handling large-scale pan-India releases, which one has seen in case of ‘Baahubali’. The banner also received a significant financial boost after Adar Poonawalla’s Serum Institute of India acquired a 50 percent stake in the company for Rs 1,000 crore. As per a latest report by Variety India, Namit Malhotra screened a 30-minute edited cut of ‘Ramayana’ for potential distributors before finalising the deal. Negotiations with Dharma Productions reportedly began with a distribution price of around Rs 500 crore before both sides agreed on a final figure of Rs 250 crore, giving Dharma the sole India distribution rights.Dubbed “the most anticipated Indian film of this year” by IMDb, ‘Ramayana: Part 1’ boasts an ensemble cast led by Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. The film also stars Sunny Deol as Hanuman, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman, Arun Govil as Dasharatha, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Kajal Aggarwal as Mandodari, Vivek Oberoi as Vidyutjiva, Rakul Preet Singh as Surapanakha, Sheeba Chaddha as Manthara, Indira Krishnan as Kausalaya and Kunal Kapoor as Indra, among others.The film’s music is being composed by Oscar winners AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer, who have collaborated for the first time on an Indian project. While filming for ‘Ramayana: Part 1’ has already wrapped and the movie is currently in post-production, work on the second installment has entered the pre-production stage.Last month, exhibitor and trade analyst Vishek Chauhan had predicted that the two-part ‘Ramayana’ could become the only Indian franchise capable of surpassing the Rs 3,300 crore-plus worldwide box office record set earlier this year by Aditya Dhar’s Ranveer Singh-starrer spy franchise ‘Dhurandhar’.
