Ramayana teaser review: Ranbir Kapoor as Rama cuts through the CGI noise

Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana makes its position clear from the outset: this is not being sold as mythology, but as "our history, our truth." It's an ambitious claim, and the film's first glimpse leans heavily into that weight of intent.

Unveiled globally on Thursday, the nearly 2.5-minute clip introducing Ranbir Kapoor as Rama is expansive in scale and rich in visual detail. The clip attempts to do more than just deliver the first glimpse. It tries to map the emotional and narrative arc of the character. Moving across the Kandas described by Valmiki - from Bala Kanda and Ayodhya Kanda to the early beats of Aranya Kanda, the teaser offers a sweeping, almost checklist-like passage through Rama's journey in Part One.

It is, without doubt, immersive. But is it entirely effective? Not quite.

The opening stretches struggle under the weight of their own design. The heavy reliance on CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) makes parts of the world feel over-constructed, even slightly caricature-like, as if the film is still searching for its tonal footing. The grandeur is evident, but the soul takes a beat to arrive.

That's when Ranbir Kapoor steps into the frame.

There is a noticeable lift in the teaser's energy once he appears. The performance has stillness, just the right kind of intensity that begins to take over the visual excess around it. The music swells into place, the imagery starts to come alive, and for the first time in the teaser, the world doesn't feel assembled. Kapoor doesn't fully silence doubts around his casting, but he complicates them. There is enough conviction here to suggest that writing him off would be premature.

What the teaser ultimately banks on, though, is not certainty but intrigue.

This is a clip designed to be revisited. It invites scrutiny, almost demands it. You find yourself pausing, replaying, scanning the frame for details you may have missed. In that sense, it operates more like a teaser and less like a full-fledged revelation. It gives you just enough to keep you searching for more.

The closing moments understand this effect best.

A fleeting glimpse of Ravana builds toward the introduction of the Pushpak Viman. The aircraft, rendered with intricate detail, becomes the teaser's most striking visual moment. It is here that the film's technical ambition and artistic imagination find their strongest confluence.

The score, led by Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman, and a beautiful play of light and shadow add another layer of scale. Even in fragments, it hints at a soundscape that aims to match the film's visual ambition - measured, expansive, and emotionally loaded.

The first glimpse of Ramayana doesn't land as a knockout. It leaves questions unanswered, and feels overreaching in parts, but it also does something more important: it holds your attention.

Ramayana is massive, calculated, and clearly playing a long game. If a mere glimpse can pull you in this strongly, the film may have already cleared its first real test.