The scoreboard: six Indian verdicts, one wide split
Ramayana opened in cinemas on November 5, and the full Indian reviews are now in. They do not agree with each other, and the gap between them is wide. The Times of India gave the film 4.5 out of 5. India Today gave it 4 out of 5. The Indian Express, NDTV and News18 each gave it 3 out of 5. Outlook India gave it 2.5 out of 5.
The average across the Indian reviews counted by review tracker Bollymoviereviewz sits at 3.38 out of 5 from nine reviews, with six positive, two neutral and one negative. Ramayana is not a film critics hated, and it is not a film they all loved. The same strengths and weaknesses appear in review after review, and the difference is only in how much weight each critic gave them.
What the high scorers loved: emotion, restraint and scale
The Times of India review, written by Renuka Vyavahare, is the warmest of the lot, and its central claim is about feeling, not spectacle. It says Nitesh Tiwari delivers a breathtaking cinematic spectacle without ever losing sight of the emotional core of the epic. It calls the film an immersive, larger than life experience and a landmark moment for Indian cinema, one that deserves to be seen in IMAX 3D.
The review is especially strong on Ranbir Kapoor as Ram. It says he delivers an almost anti Animal performance, reining in his natural intensity and letting emotion surface through measured expressions and a remarkably controlled performance. That reading of Ranbir as restraint rather than power is the key difference between the high scorers and the low scorers.
India Today, at 4 out of 5 from Vineeta Kumar, lands in the same camp. Its verdict, as listed on the District ratings page, is that the spectacle succeeds through emotional depth and stirring music, despite uneven artificial imagery. So even the second warmest review admits the effects are uneven in places. The praise is for the whole, not for every frame.
What the low scorers attacked: soul, substance and the middle
Outlook India is the coldest Indian verdict at 2.5 out of 5, and its complaint is the mirror image of the Times of India praise. It says the film impresses with its visual scale and a compelling Ravana but struggles to find the emotional and philosophical depth of the epic. It says Ranbir Ram often feels anxious and uncertain, and lacks the expected composure of the character. It says the film underdevelops Sita and overlooks the emotional significance of Bharat.
NDTV, at 3 out of 5 from Saibal Chatterjee, makes a similar point in different words. Its headline is that spectacle overshadows substance in the film. It says the veneer of sophistication is impressively consistent, but the gargantuan scale is the first thing that strikes the audience. It notes the film is a Rs 4,000 crore project built for global conquest, with music by Hans Zimmer in his first Indian outing alongside A R Rahman.
News18, also at 3 out of 5 from Chirag Sehgal, calls the film a mixed bag. Its verdict is that the film scores high on visuals, VFX and scale, with Yash and Ravie Dubey emerging as its biggest highlights. But a stretched first half, weak character portrayals and rushed handling of important mythological sequences prevent it from becoming the epic cinematic experience it aspires to be. The Indian Express, at 3 stars from Shubhra Gupta, is the most forgiving of the middle three, saying the film is unapologetically bigger than any other Ramayana iteration.
Where they agree: Yash, the VFX and the runtime
For all the disagreement, there are three points on which the critics line up. The first is Yash as Ravana. Nobody pans him. The Times of India praises the casting as remarkably well judged. Outlook India, even while marking the film down, calls his Ravana compelling. News18 names him one of the two biggest highlights. If there is one consensus performance in Ramayana, it is Yash.
The second point of agreement is the scale and the effects. Outlook India calls the VFX immersive and the environments grand. The Times of India gives the effects 4.5 out of 5. News18 puts visuals and VFX at the top of what works. The argument is never about whether the film looks big enough. It is about whether the bigness leaves room for anything else.
The third point of agreement is the length. At 3 hours and 15 minutes, the film drags in the middle for critics on both sides. News18 blames a stretched first half. The Indian Express notes the slow start. Viewers on X have listed the long runtime among the drawbacks, alongside the music and the thin Ram and Sita emotion. Length is the one criticism that crosses the divide between the 4.5 star review and the 2.5 star review.
The celebrity counterpoint: Karan Johar sees it differently
The most striking counterpoint to the low scorers comes not from another critic but from filmmaker Karan Johar, who posted a long note after watching the film. He called the adaptation a miracle and said Ranbir Kapoor had succeeded with divine perfection in his most challenging role ever. His exact words about Ranbir were that his eyes do all the heavy lifting. He called Yash mesmerising and powerful, and said that every time Yash appears on screen he commands attention and applause.
Johar is a friend of Ranbir and a fellow filmmaker, so his praise is not a neutral review. But it shows how differently the same performance can read. What Outlook India calls anxious and uncertain, Johar calls deeply meditative. The gap between those two readings is the gap at the heart of the Ramayana debate.
So what should you take from the Indian consensus? If you want scale, spectacle and a towering Ravana, every critic from 2.5 stars to 4.5 stars agrees you will get them. If you want the emotional core to hit as hard as the battles, the reviews say your mileage will vary. The high scorers found the heart. The low scorers searched for it and came away empty.
What fans are saying on X
Karan Johar on Instagram, as quoted by NDTV: "Ranbir... to be able to make a country believe in you as a divine force of goodness and humanity without any bells and whistles... your eyes do alll the heavy lifting... its your most challenging role ever and you have mega succeeded with divine PERFECTION.... AND @thenameisyash you are so so MESMERISING and POWERFULL!!! Each and every time you appear on screen you command attention and applause." Link (roundup article quoting the post; exact post URL could not be verified because X is blocked in this workspace): https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/karan-johar-reviews-ramayana-ranbir-kapoors-eyes-do-the-heavy-lifting-yash-is-mesmerising-12285705
Viewer on X, as quoted by NDTV: "My Honest Review: #Ramayana Massive budget, zero soul. #Ranbir's acting is painfully dull and ruined the entire experience. #Yash as Ravana is literally the only reason to sit through this mess. My Rating: 1.5/5." Link (roundup article quoting the post; exact post URL could not be verified because X is blocked in this workspace): https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/ramayana-x-review-internet-calls-ranbir-kapoors-acting-painfully-dull-praises-yashs-ravana-and-jatayu-fight-scene-stunning-vfx-12285486
Sources and reporting
- Times of India — November 5, 2026 · Verifies the 4.5/5 rating, the emotional core verdict, the Ranbir restraint praise and the 4.5 special effects score
- Outlook India — November 5, 2026 · Verifies the 2.5/5 rating, the Ranbir anxious and uncertain criticism and the Sita underdeveloped verdict
- District — November 5, 2026 · Verifies the India Today 4/5, Indian Express 3/5, NDTV 3/5 and News18 3/5 ratings with critic names
