The 2D animated film Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama, which originally released back in 1992, is set for a theatrical release across India in Hindi, English, Tamil and Telugu on 18 October.
The film is based on the mythological epic Ramayana by Indian poet Valmiki, and is retold by Japanese animation master Yugo Sako, and Indian animation legend Ram Mohan. The film is produced by Sako, Atsushi Matsuo, Kenji Yoshii and directed by Mohan (You Said It, Baap Re Baap, Banyan Deer) and Japanese director Kôichi Sasaki (Amazing Sarutobi, Sonic X).
The epic is the story of young prince Rama who is exiled to the forest by his stepmother Kaikeyi. Joining Rama in the forest are his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana. After Sita is abducted by the powerful king Ravana, Rama must fight Ravana and free his wife.
The production of the original English version of Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama began in 1984. Mohan and his team were in charge of the scenario, art settings, dialogue recording, music, etc., while the Japanese creators were in charge of the storyboards, background, original drawings, animation, colouring, photography and editing. A total of 450 people, including animators involved in Hayao Miyazaki’s works, created more than one lakh hand-drawn celluloid pictures. The film was completed in 1992 after nine years and an investment of approximately 800 million yen.
Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama will be released in 4K Ultra HD in the Indian theatres. In 2020, AnimationXpress reported that Japan is working on a 4K digital version and the re-release of the film. In 2022, the film was screened in Tokyo, Japan as well as Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) both in 2022
The anime-style film received global acclaim when it was first released at the 24th International Film Festival in India in 1993. At the time, it was banned from theatrical release due to concerns about its Japanese production and the tense political atmosphere post the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992. The film was broadcast on Indian TV channels throughout the years and was received well with the audience.
The Hindi voice cast of the film features Arun Govil as Rama, Namrata Sawhney as Sita, Shakti Singh as Lakshmana and Amrish Puri as Ravana.
The film’s production company Geek Pictures and Indian distributor Excel Movies have released the teaser of the film on their Instagram handles. The theatrical distribution of the film in India will be handled by Geek Pictures, AA Films and Excel Movies.