Ramayana movie gets U certificate, no cuts; runtime is 195 minutes

Ramayana, the Hindi mythological epic directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra, has been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with a 'U' certificate, and the board's examining committee asked for no cuts and no audio or visual changes. The certificate, handed to the makers on Friday, October 30, 2026, lists the film's running time as 195 minutes, or 3 hours and 15 minutes. The Ramayana movie opens in cinemas worldwide on Thursday, November 5, 2026, ahead of Diwali.

A censor certificate is the last formal step before a film can be shown in Indian cinemas. Under the Cinematograph Act, every film released in theatres must be certified by the CBFC into one of its categories. A 'U' rating is the widest of these: it places no age bar on the audience. For a film built around an epic that families across India know from childhood, the rating matters commercially, because it lets parents bring children of any age without restriction. The clearance also removes any doubt about whether the November 5 date would hold, with less than a week to go.

The absence of cuts is notable for a mythological film. Films that depict gods and religious figures are often watched closely, and changes to dialogue or scenes are sometimes requested at the certification stage. According to the trade reports, the committee asked for none here, so audiences will see the version the makers submitted. The film had already been in the news over its use of technology; at its premiere at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles earlier this month, Tiwari said artificial intelligence had been used only for lip-sync work.

The runtime is the other headline figure. At 195 minutes, Ramayana runs longer than most Hindi releases, which usually fall between two and a half and three hours. Longer films get fewer shows per screen each day, so the number of screens the film secures, especially premium IMAX screens, becomes more important to its opening numbers. Trade reports say the film will have a two-week IMAX window in India, and that the Japanese monster film Godzilla Minus Zero is likely to get only limited IMAX shows here, with its India release possibly moving to November 20.

Ramayana is one of the costliest projects in Indian cinema. Its producer, Namit Malhotra, has spoken of the two-part plan as a Rs 4,000 crore undertaking, and he has also outlined plans for spin-offs set in the same story world. Music for the film includes AR Rahman, whose song Mangal Rang was released earlier in five languages. The scale of the investment is one reason the film's certification, screen count and advance bookings are being tracked so closely by the industry.

Short-term: With the certificate in hand, cinema chains can lock show timings for November 5, and families can book without age restrictions. The long runtime means fewer daily shows per screen, so ticket availability at peak times may be tighter, especially on IMAX screens during the opening week.

Long-term: The film's run will be read as a test of whether Indian cinema can recover very large budgets on mythological stories told with heavy visual effects. Its performance is also expected to shape plans for the second part, due at Diwali 2027, and the spin-offs the producer has spoken about.

Who is affected: Cinema-goers planning Diwali outings, single-screen and multiplex owners deciding show schedules, distributors of other films competing for screens that week, including Godzilla Minus Zero, and the film's producers and investors.

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