Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Maa Sita: Namit Malhotra's Ramayana Opens with Jai Jai Ram
On Vinayaka Chaturthi the first song and Siya Ram visuals introduce the pairing at the heart of the epic, with Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram and Sai Pallavi as Maa Sita.
Namit Malhotra's Ramayana: Part 1, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, began its musical campaign on Vinayaka Chaturthi, September 14, 2026. At dawn the makers released a Siya Ram poster. Shortly afterwards they released the first song, Jai Jai Ram, composed, produced and arranged by A.R. Rahman, written by Dr Kumar Vishwas, and sung by Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal.
The official note was precise. Every auspicious beginning, it said, begins with an invocation. The poster caption named the subject of that invocation: “Celebrating the timeless bond of Siya Ram.” Ranbir Kapoor, as Lord Ram, places a flower in Sai Pallavi's hair. They sit together on a rock beside the river, the moment framed with quiet intimacy rather than grandeur. The image is composed as companionship rather than spectacle.
This chapter of the campaign has been built around the pairing. Ranbir Kapoor is Lord Ram. Sai Pallavi is Maa Sita. The song and the poster ask the audience to meet them together before the film turns to war, exile's later cost, or the scale for which the production has been discussed.
The video gathers the swayamvar and the wedding, scenes of devotion around the couple, and later moments from the first film's arc. Sai Pallavi carries much of this footage on her own terms. In the swayamvar glimpses her Sita holds a composed grace, the eyes doing the work rather than any visible effort. In the wedding passages the charm sits in the smaller details: a lowered gaze, an unhurried smile, the tilt of her head as the garland is placed and the ceremony moves around her. Some viewers have already begun comparing these frames with earlier trailer footage and noting differences in colour, finish and visual effects. That comparison belongs to the public record. It does not replace a simpler fact: this is the first time the film has held Sai Pallavi's Sita in view for a sustained stretch.
Rahman has described Jai Jai Ram as a prayer that needed to keep its intimacy even as it grew into a cinematic piece. The name is repeated until it functions as both worship and score. Vishwas has said he did not try to define Ram in language, because that meaning cannot be contained in words. He wrote the relationship a devotee already carries: guide, strength, refuge. The diction was kept plain by design. Malhotra tied the release to Ganesh Chaturthi because the festival marks auspicious beginnings, and because the song was meant to set an emotional foundation before the rest of the music arrives.
Ramayana: Part 1 is scheduled for worldwide release around Diwali 2026, with international dates from 5 to 6 November and the India opening around 8 November. Further music will follow, including the larger score by Rahman and Hans Zimmer. This first offering is not the film. It is the opening the producers chose for an auspicious morning: an invocation, a pairing, and a first proper look at Sai Pallavi as Maa Sita beside Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram.
Namit Malhotra's Ramayana has begun its music by naming both. The rest of the campaign will be measured against that choice.
SaiPallaviCanvas verifies cast, crew, and quote attributions against official releases and on-record statements before publication. This article reflects publicly issued material as of the date above; it will be corrected or updated if the makers issue further clarification.