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Movies

Ramayana JioHotstar Release Skips Subscriptions. Here’s Why

Ramayana: Part One will get a pay-per-view release on JioHotstar after its theatrical run ends. The film, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Yash, opens worldwide...

Ramayana movie poster
"Ramayana" movie poster courtesy of Dharma Productions

“Ramayana: Part One” will get a pay-per-view release on JioHotstar after its theatrical run ends. The film, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Yash, opens worldwide on Nov. 5, just ahead of the Diwali festival.

JioHotstar struck the deal with Prime Focus Studios, and the companies announced it Oct. 21. Rather than folding the movie into a subscription package, JioHotstar will sell it to viewers in India as a separate, on-demand purchase, a pay-per-view offering the companies describe as the first of its kind on the platform.

‘Ramayana’ Release Date And Platforms

  • Theatrical release: Nov. 5, worldwide, ahead of Diwali
  • Post-theatrical option: pay-per-view purchase on JioHotstar for audiences in India
  • Streaming quality: the highest quality each viewer’s supported device can handle

What We Know About The Pay-Per-View Plan

The arrangement lets JioHotstar offer “Ramayana: Part One” as its own purchase rather than bundling it with existing subscription tiers. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film stars Ranbir Kapoor as exiled prince Rama, Yash as Ravana and Sai Pallavi as Rama’s wife, Sita. The cast also includes Sunny Deol as Hanuman, Ravie Dubey as Lakshmana, Arun Govil as Dasharatha, Lara Dutta, Rakul Preet Singh, Vivek Oberoi, Kunal Kapoor and Kajal Aggarwal.

Namit Malhotra, the film’s producer and the founder and CEO of DNEG, framed the pay-per-view model as a way to reach fans who can’t get to a theater. DNEG, the visual effects company, produces the film with Prime Focus Studios and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations.

“Ramayana belongs to every Indian, and our ambition must reflect that,” Malhotra said in a statement reported by Variety. “JioHotstar has time and again shown how technology can bring a nation together through its sports and entertainment offering. That made them a natural partner to take Ramayana into people’s hands and living rooms, after its theatrical run.”

Why The Pay-Per-View Deal Matters

For fans in India, the pay-per-view release means “Ramayana: Part One” will have a dedicated path to home viewing once its theatrical window closes. Selling it as a standalone title instead of a subscription perk suggests JioHotstar sees room for premium pricing on films positioned as major cultural events.

The film opens in six languages — Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with Imax 3D among its formats. Sony Pictures Entertainment is handling the release outside India, while Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions is distributing the film in North India’s Hindi-speaking markets.

What’s Next For ‘Ramayana: Part One’

JioHotstar has not announced when the pay-per-view window opens or what it will cost. The epic is the first of two planned films, with Part Two slated for Diwali 2027. Shridhar Raghavan wrote the screenplay adapting Valmiki’s epic.

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