Ranbir Kapoor's Rama finally got the moment fans had been waiting for. The new international trailer of Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, released on Thursday, October 15, puts Ranbir and Yash's Ravana in a full-scale face-off, and the reaction online has been loud. After months of jokes about the first trailer's visual effects, many fans are now saying the makers "cooked."

Here's what's in the 2-minute-36-second trailer, Ranbir's key lines, what fans liked and didn't, and how he and the director are answering the VFX critics.

What the new Ramayana trailer shows

The English-language trailer for Ramayana: Rise of a Legend opens with a narrator setting the stage: "Before history was written... men walked among gods... and the world existed in perfect order. But from the darkness rose an evil force... Ravana." Hindustan Times and Republic both quote the line.

Kunal Kapoor makes his first appearance as Lord Indra. Then Yash's Ravana, the King of Lanka, declares, "Before me, every head will bow..." as he sets out to rule all three realms.

The trailer then turns to Rama, introduced as "not a god, but a man, chosen by destiny." Ranbir gets the trailer's biggest dialogue moments. "If this is my fate... I will not hesitate to destroy him. If I don't stop him... the world will fall," he says, per HT. Republic also quotes him vowing to find Lanka "even if it's buried in the darkest depths of the Earth," calling it "the vow of Rama." The closing shot belongs to Ravana: "This is just... the beginning."

The music is by A.R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer, and fans singled out the score at the end of the trailer.

Fan reactions: 'From they are cooked to they cooked'

India Today rounded up the sequences fans clipped and shared most. They include Ravana's mid-air battle with Jatayu, who is voiced by Anupam Kher, a two-second shot of Yash's Ravana praying before a Shiva idol inside a ring of fire, and Rama's standoff with Lord Parshuram. One post called the Shiva shot "FRAME OF THE CENTURY."

Republic quoted one user summing up the mood shift: "From they are cooked To They cooked." HT reported that international viewers compared the scale to Avatar and The Lord of the Rings.

Not everyone was won over. NDTV highlighted posts saying some VFX shots were still disappointing. One user rated the acting "10/10" but called parts of the visuals unacceptable for a film of this size. Yash's screen presence as Ravana was the most consistent point of praise across the reactions.

Ranbir Kapoor answers the VFX criticism

The first trailer drew heavy trolling over its CGI, and Ranbir has addressed it head-on. Speaking to Collider, as quoted by HT, he said: "People who don't know CG is done, they think someone has just some AI and released something. There are countless hours of work where artists are working for years."

He added that he had watched Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra sit on VFX calls "trying to get even the colour of the sky right."

Tiwari said some VFX sequences took "two-and-a-half to three years." He also offered a blunter take: "The sad reality is when someone is hellbent on nitpicking, your best effort will be ignored, and your smallest mistake will be amplified."

The cast, and when Ramayana releases

Ranbir plays Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi plays Sita and Yash plays Ravana. India Today lists Ravie Dubey as Laxman, Sunny Deol as Hanuman, Arun Govil as King Dashrath and Rakul Preet Singh as Shurpanakha. Vivek Oberoi, Kunal Kapoor, Shobana and Lara Dutta round out the cast.

The film is produced by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios with DNEG, and Yash's Monster Mind Creations is a co-producer. NDTV and HT report that Part 1 releases worldwide on November 5, 2026, in the Diwali window, with Part 2 planned for Diwali 2027. HT says it will play in 3D, IMAX and other premium formats. Republic reports that advance bookings have opened.

We first reported on the November 5 date in "Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana Part One Reportedly Preponed to November 5 in India." With the trailer out and release less than three weeks away, the promotional push is now in full swing.

Why this trailer matters

Ramayana is one of the most expensive and closely watched Indian films ever made, and its first look became a meme for the wrong reasons. A second trailer that shifts the online conversation from VFX jokes to Ranbir and Yash's face-off is exactly what the makers needed before Diwali. The final verdict will come in theatres.

FAQ

When was the new Ramayana trailer released?

The international trailer was released on Thursday, October 15, 2026.

Who plays Rama and Ravana in Ramayana?

Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama and Yash plays Ravana. Sai Pallavi plays Sita.

When does Ramayana Part 1 release?

November 5, 2026, worldwide, according to NDTV and Hindustan Times. Part 2 is planned for Diwali 2027.

What did Ranbir Kapoor say about the VFX criticism?

He told Collider that people wrongly assume it's AI, when artists have worked on the effects for years.

Cover photo: Bollywood Hungama / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0