Praise rarely comes back. Usually, a celebrity who endorses a film at trailer stage stays quiet if the finished version disappoints. Bharadwaj did the opposite, publicly and in capital letters.
The post is blunt. “I WITHDRAW MY INITIAL APPRECIATION,” he wrote, saying he was deeply upset and disappointed, and could not find a single good word to say about the film. He went on to describe the Ramayana as part of India’s cultural, spiritual and civilisational heritage, and not merely a story.
His central objection is theological. He said Lord Vishnu took the Ram avatar to uphold dharma, preserve tradition and establish maryada, and he objected to what he described as the film portraying Ravana as exceptionally liberal, socially just and fair. In his view, as Outlook India quotes it, that treatment alters the moral framework of the Ramayana and undermines the very purpose of the avatar. ETV Bharat’s headline goes further and quotes him as saying the film doesn’t deserve to represent Indian cinema globally.
The second objection is about style. He said spectacle can never stand in for the epic’s values and spiritual essence. That’s a criticism of the film’s heavy use of visual effects, and it’s separate from the Ravana point.
Bharadwaj isn’t just any viewer. He played Krishna in Mahabharat, and he also played Lord Ram in BR Chopra’s 2001 TV series Ramayan, per Gulf News. For many Indian viewers, that gives his reading of these stories a particular authority, though it’s still one person’s opinion.
His earlier reaction was warm. After watching the trailer, he praised Tiwari and the visual effects, and wrote “100% Oscar for Best Foreign Film.” Gulf News adds that he called Tiwari a major gift to world cinema and applauded Ranbir Kapoor and Yash. His reversal is therefore a reaction to the full film, as he says, and not to the trailer or the casting.
Ramayana is among the biggest and most expensive Indian film projects in years. It’s planned as two parts, with the first slated for Diwali 2026 and the second for Diwali 2027, per Gulf News. Ranbir Kapoor plays Ram, Sai Pallavi plays Sita and Yash plays Ravana. Yash is also a producer. The score is by A.R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer. Namit Malhotra, who produces, has described the aim as the most authentic and sacred adaptation of the story.
Early reviews from a Los Angeles premiere were positive, according to a Gulf News headline about audiences being moved to tears. I haven’t read those reviews, so I can’t judge how widely that view is shared.
A lot is open. We don’t know whether the makers will answer, or whether Bharadwaj’s view reflects a broader audience reaction. Odisha TV’s headline says another Mahabharat actor, Mukesh Khanna, has also weighed in, using strong language, but I haven’t seen what he said and won’t characterise it.
There are also two separate arguments here, and it helps to keep them apart. One is about faith and interpretation: whether making Ravana a more sympathetic figure is a betrayal of the epic. The other is about filmmaking: whether the film’s scale serves the story. Bharadwaj has made both. Others will have different views on each, and the film’s reception will show which ones carry weight.
