Titanic had been the world’s priciest movie for years. Its budget was slightly more than $200 million. The most costly Indian films at the time had budgets of no more than $10 million (about ₹36–40 crore at the time’s currency rate). The gap was large. That disparity has narrowed as Indian cinema has expanded.
With a reported budget of around $70 million (₹600 crore), Kalki 2898 AD is now the most costly Indian film. This is comparable to the $447 million spent on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the most expensive movie in the world.
However, if one filmmaker is to be believed, the ranking will shift. An Indian movie is being produced on such a grand scale that even Avengers and Avatar would seem insignificant. With a rumoured budget of ₹4000 crore, this movie is far more expensive than anything made in India or even most of Hollywood.
Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana, starring Namit Malhotra, is undoubtedly the most ambitious Indian movie ever produced. According to recent rumours, the two-part movie is being made on a ₹1600 crore ($100 million for each part) budget. However, the movie’s producer has recently disclosed that the actual amount is ₹4000 crore, which is far greater.
“Everyone called me a lunatic when we set out to make it, 6-7 years ago, when we really got serious about mounting it, because no Indian film comes close to it budgetwise,” Namit stated in an interview with The Prakhar Gupta Xperience podcast. “In short, by the time we finish both Parts 1 and 2, it will be approximately $500 million, or more over ₹4000 crore.”
“We are making the largest film in the world for the greatest story the world should see. I still think it is cheaper than some of the big Hollywood films. I think we are making a bigger film at a lower cost. That Indian in me still believes we are not being irresponsible with money,” he also adds.
The budget of ₹4000 crore surpasses all previous Indian productions. The budget for Ramayana is significantly larger than the total production expenditures of Adipurush (₹550 crore), RRR (₹500 crore), and Kalki 2898 AD (₹600 crore), even though the movie is a two-part feature.
However, these were all stand-alone films. Baahubali is the most appropriate choice when comparing back-to-back productions. But SS Rajamouli’s two films only cost ₹430 crore, which is a tenth of what Ramayana will cost.
Not even a lot of Hollywood flicks can compare. The budget for the Avengers films was little over $300 million, whereas the budget for Avatar was $237 million. The only way Ramayana won’t become the biggest movie in the world is if we take back-to-back productions.
The Hobbit trilogy cost $623 million, while the third and fourth Avengers flicks, Infinity War and Endgame, cost nearly $700 million combined. These are the only undertakings that have cost more than the $500 million that Ramayana was said to have cost.
Part 1 of Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana is scheduled to be released on Diwali in 2026, while Part 2 will follow in 2027. Sai Pallavi plays Sita, Ravi Dubey plays Lakshman, Sunny Deol plays Hanuman, Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Ram, and Yash plays Ravana. AR Rahman works with the renowned Hans Zimmer, who is making his Bollywood debut, on the film’s soundtrack.
