The highly anticipated release of Ramayana Part 1, directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra alongside Yash, hit Indian theatres on 5 November 2026. Instead of delivering a faithful and reverent retelling of the sacred epic, the makers have resorted to the classic Bollywood trope of humanising the villain. Viewers and critics alike have quickly realized that the film dedicates far more dramatic weight, screen time, and emotional depth to Ravana than to Lord Rama.
The Anti Sanatan Brain Behind the Script
The distortion of this sacred epic is no accident. The creative direction makes perfect sense when you look at the people involved in the writing and research process. Director Nitesh Tiwari co wrote the screenplay with Shridhar Raghavan. However, Dr Akhilesh Bodhisattva served as the official researcher and consultant who shaped the narrative. Known across the ecosystem as a blatant Hindu hater, Bodhisattva being handed the pen to shape the Ramayana explains exactly why the film feels like a calculated attack on Sanatan Dharma. When individuals who despise Hindu traditions are allowed to write and consult on our greatest epic, the result is inevitably a corrupted Bollywood Ravanayana.
The Victimisation of Ravana
Played by Yash, the character of Ravana is handed a completely fabricated and sympathetic origin arc. The cinematic narrative depicts his clan being severely persecuted by the Devas, forced into servitude, and living in darkness. This framing deliberately portrays Ravana as a wronged visionary driven by ambition and pride rather than a tyrant rooted in pure evil. His entry sequences, dialogues, and key battles are explicitly crafted to evoke awe and admiration.
Consequently, Ravana completely dominates the cinematic experience. In stark contrast, the portrayal of Lord Rama by Ranbir Kapoor comes across as severely underwritten, emotionally flat, and deliberately sidelined.
Diluting Absolute Adharma
Devout audiences are furious at this blatant distortion of Dharma. The traditional Ramayana provides absolute moral clarity. Ravana represents unchecked lust, supreme arrogance, and unforgivable adharma. However, the film pushes his abduction of Mata Sita, played by Sai Pallavi, and his base demonic desires into the background. The script prefers to present him as an intellectual rebel fighting against systemic injustice.
This treatment strips the antagonist of his evil nature and essentially turns the sacred text into a vehicle for villain glorification. The foundational moral clarity of the epic is completely destroyed just to make the antagonist look cool on screen.
The Bollywood Agenda
While the makers desperately claim they never intended to make Ravana the hero, the overwhelming public consensus says otherwise. When the demon king walks away with the best scenes, the most impactful dialogues, and the deepest emotional resonance, the intention of the director becomes crystal clear.
Bollywood seemingly cannot digest absolute Dharma. The ecosystem insists on corrupting the narrative by making the adharmi antagonist the most compelling character in the room. With individuals like Bodhisattva shaping the story, this big budget spectacle is not the Ramayana of Maharishi Valmiki. This is merely a pro Ravana propaganda piece tailored to make audiences root for the demon king.