The argument in one paragraph

Ramayana is a love story before it is a war story. Ram and Sita marry, go into exile together, and are torn apart, and everything that follows depends on the audience believing in the bond between them. That is why the most argued about point in the whole film is not the budget or the effects. It is whether the emotion between Ram and Sita actually lands.

The case that the emotion is missing

Outlook India makes the strongest version of the negative case. In its 2.5 out of 5 review, it says the film gives the Ram and Sita relationship surprisingly little room to develop. Their exchanges are brief, it writes, and songs often take the place of conversations that could have revealed more about their connection. It says Sita strength should not be measured only through her ability to fight. It concludes that the spiritual bond between Ram and Sita remains underexplored.

ScreenRant makes a similar point from the international side. In its 7 out of 10 review, it says Rama and Sita come across as one note, so a key late scene does not land emotionally. IGN, which gave the film 4 out of 10, presents Sita as graceful but with little underneath the grace. The complaint is the same: the film shows you a divine couple without giving you enough quiet time with them.

The audience version of this complaint is blunter. Mathrubhumi live updates report that some viewers noted the emotional depth of the Rama and Sita relationship fails to resonate. Its X review roundup says Sai Pallavi performance has attracted a more divided response than anyone else in the cast, and quotes one viewer calling her a huge letdown, criticising her expressions and emotional delivery. Another early viewer, quoted in LA premiere reaction reports, said Ranbir and Sai Pallavi were miscast as Ram and Sita. One viewer roundup quoted by Venky Reviews put it most directly: the divine and emotional connect never comes through consistently.

The case that the emotion is there

The other side has the warmest review in the country on its side. The Times of India, at 4.5 out of 5, says Nitesh Tiwari delivers a breathtaking cinematic spectacle without ever losing sight of the emotional core. Its review says the film remains faithful to its source material while delivering a visual experience that stands shoulder to shoulder with the grandest international productions.

India Today, at 4 out of 5, agrees. Its verdict is that the spectacle succeeds through emotional depth and stirring music. India TV, also at 4 out of 5, is even more specific about the relationship itself. It says the tenderness of Rama and Sita relationship ensures that the film does not become a mere collection of events, and that the film biggest achievement lies in balancing visual grandeur with emotion.

The celebrity voices are on this side too. Karan Johar, in his long post after watching the film, said Sai Pallavi was divine and sublime and so beautifully convincing in her portrayal of Sita, and that she made him believe in the power of her sacrifice and unconditional love. He said Ranbir eyes do all the heavy lifting in the role. Badshah said the film made him cry even though the audience has known the story since childhood.

Sita herself: the most divided performance in the cast

Sai Pallavi is the most argued about performance in the film, and the argument splits in two directions at once. One group of viewers says she is too restrained, that her expressions are limited and her dialogues are few. Mathrubhumi reports exactly that, saying audiences feel her portrayal lacks impact. The other group says the restraint is the point, and that her grace and warmth are what make Sita believable as a divine figure rather than a shouting heroine.

The warrior Sita scenes sit at the centre of this split. The film shows Sita fighting demons alongside Ram in the forest, and that choice has drawn both praise and backlash. Mathrubhumi reports that audiences are also appreciating the portrayal of Sita as a fierce warrior. But other viewers have objected strongly, saying that according to the Valmiki Ramayana, Ram fought the demon army of Khara and Dushana alone. NDTV reports the backlash in detail. Other viewers have defended it by pointing to the Adbhuta Ramayana, in which Sita assumes a fierce form to defeat a thousand headed demon. Tiwari himself has said the makers were clear about where they could take liberties with certain characters and where they should not.

What nobody disputes is that Sita is not a passive figure in this film. Outlook India, even while criticising the film, says Sai Pallavi brings a welcome sense of agency to Sita, and that the film allows her to display courage and physical strength. The argument is not about whether Sita has agency. It is about whether agency through fighting is enough, or whether the film also needed to show the quiet companionship that makes Ram and Sita a couple rather than two warriors who happen to be married.

What to make of it, and what Part 2 must do

The honest read is that both sides are describing something real. The film gives Ram and Sita a grand wedding, a forest exile and a separation, and very little quiet time in between. Songs take the place of conversations, as Outlook India says. But the scenes it does give them, the tenderness India TV praises and the warmth India Today praises, land for a large part of the audience. Whether the emotion works for you may depend on what you need from a love story: grand gestures and sacrifice, or small conversations and doubt.

Part 2, now confirmed for Diwali 2028 by producer Namit Malhotra, will have to answer this debate, because the second half of the epic is where the separation bites hardest, and it is emotional before it is spectacular. For now, the Ram and Sita debate is the most honest argument in Indian cinema this week: a film everyone agrees looks magnificent, and a love story half the audience felt and half the audience is still waiting to feel.

What fans are saying on X

Karan Johar on Instagram, as quoted by NDTV: "Sai... you are divine, sublime and so so beautifully convincing in your portrayal of Sita Ma... The agency of the portrayal is so heartening and you made me believe in the power of your sacrifice and unconditional love... so brilliant!" 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 Mathrubhumi: "Yash is good as expected and Sai Pallavi is a huge let down..bland and couldn't emote for big part of the movie." Link (roundup article quoting the post; exact post URL could not be verified because X is blocked in this workspace): https://english.mathrubhumi.com/amp/movies-music/news/ramayana-x-review-is-ranbir-kapoor-and-yashs-film-dramayana-or-a-cinematic-masterpiece-netizens-react-vz0nxait

Viewer on X, as quoted by NDTV: "Another fraud from #Ramayana, or should I say Scamyana. We're seeing Sita Maa fight here, helping Shri Ram fight the 14,000-strong demon army of Khara and Dushana, while according to scriptures, Shri Ram fought all of them alone, sending Lakshman and Sita Maa away." 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/sai-pallavis-ramayana-fight-scene-sparks-backlash-internet-says-shri-ram-fought-alone-12286285

Sources and reporting

  1. Outlook India — November 5, 2026 · Verifies the 2.5/5 rating, the Sita underdeveloped verdict and the songs replacing conversations criticism
  2. Mathrubhumi — November 5, 2026 · Verifies the divided Sai Pallavi response, the huge letdown viewer quote and the warrior Sita praise
  3. Times of India — November 5, 2026 · Verifies the 4.5/5 rating and the verdict that the film never loses sight of its emotional core