HYDERABAD — The team behind the highly anticipated mythological film Ramayana: Part 1 has addressed the growing wave of social media criticism regarding the movie’s visual effects, emphasizing the painstaking human effort and years of technical work required to build the film’s grand digital universe.
Lead actor Ranbir Kapoor, along with director Nitesh Tiwari and Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor and producer Namit Malhotra, pushed back against online trolls who labeled the footage as overly synthetic or heavily generated by artificial intelligence.
The backlash surfaced following the release of the film's extended trailer on July 30, which offered audience members their first detailed look at Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana. While the trailer achieved massive scale and fan enthusiasm, critics on social media quickly targeted the CGI quality.
Addressing the skepticism in a recent interaction with news agency reporters, Ranbir Kapoor noted that viewers unfamiliar with the complex pipeline of visual effects often underestimate the time required to refine a single sequence.
"People who aren't familiar with the CGI process might not grasp how much labor goes into just one frame," Kapoor stated, noting that visual artists have worked for years to build the world of Ramayana. He recalled observing director Nitesh Tiwari repeatedly fine-tuning seemingly subtle elements, such as getting the exact tone and lighting for the sky across multiple iterations.
Director Nitesh Tiwari acknowledged the harsh reality of social media commentary, pointing out how online critics often hone in on minor imperfections while overlooking years of dedication.
"If somebody is hell-bent on nitpicking, your biggest effort will be ignored and your smallest mistake will be amplified," Tiwari remarked.
Tiwari further revealed that specific visual effects sequences in Ramayana have been in active development for nearly two and a half to three years. He confirmed that the editorial cut for Part 1 is already locked, with post-production teams currently focused on polishing the final VFX shots.
Producer Namit Malhotra, whose DNEG and Prime Focus Studios are backing the project’s visual technical execution, stated that the team has actively engaged content creators and film industry influencers to explain the intricate post-production workflow to encourage a fairer evaluation of the craft.
Mounted on a massive budget, Ramayana: Part 1 brings together Indian and international talent, featuring a background score co-composed by Academy Award winners Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman. The film is currently slated for a wide global theatrical release during Diwali 2026.
