Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, featuring Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Yash as Ravana, and Sai Pallavi as Goddess Sita theatrically released on November 5, 2026. The Nitesh Tiwari directorial is known for its stellar ensemble cast and mounted budget of over Rs 4,000 crore.

The film's art director, Ramesh, recently reflected on the efforts behind the unprecedented visual scale and grand architectural sets.In an interview with Prabhat Khabar, Ramesh shared key insights into how this grand universe was brought to life. Ramesh revealed that he was working on Pratik Gandhi's web series Gandhi when he was interviewed over Zoom by US-based production designer Ramsey Avery.

Appreciating his portfolio, Avery onboarded him the very next day.The art director brings experience from over 30 Bollywood feature films, including Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, 83, Tiger Zinda Hai, and Sultan.Ramesh’s team joined Ramayana: Rise of a Legend in February 2024, with actual set construction commencing in April 2024 at Prime Focus Studios in Film City, Mumbai. Over 150 sets were constructed for the film, following 10 to 15 design iterations for each structure.

Rather than relying solely on green screens, every detail — from floor textures and wall motifs to gold embellishments — was hand-crafted by the team.Highlighting key set pieces, Ramesh detailed the construction of Ravana’s throne, which took four months to complete and cost approximately Rs 1 crore. The structure was moulded in fibre from a clay base and finished with 24-carat gold leafing.

Similarly, Shurpanakha’s operational chariot took three months to build at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore. A still from Ramayana: Rise of a Legend. (Credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment) To assist actors with precise eye-lines and dialogue delivery on set, the art department constructed a 24-foot-tall skeleton model of Jatayu.

Meanwhile, the 50-foot-diameter Pushpak Vimana — a concept Nitesh Tiwari developed over six years — was too massive to fit inside the studio in its entirety and had to be built in four separate modules over 40 to 50 days. The art department from Ramayana: Rise of a Legend constructed a 24-foot-tall skeleton model of Jatayu. (Credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment) The sheer scale of the production required massive workforce coordination.

The construction of the Lanka set employed 500 to 600 workers simultaneously, while major crowd sequences featured up to 1,000 dancers and junior artists.Ramesh mentioned that director Nitesh Tiwari personally inspected every set a day prior to shooting, reviewing detailed storyboards and concept art four days in advance.With production already underway for the second instalment of the two-part cinematic spectacle, Ramesh confirmed that his team is currently preparing the next phase of sets as the story continues to expand.Recently, the makers also released actor Sunny Deol's appearance as Lord Hanuman from the film's post-credits scene alongside a Hanuman Chalisa music video.- Ends