With a runtime of 195 minutes, lavish CGI, larger-than-life action sequences and emphatic celebration of “virtue”, Ramayana: Rise of a Legend sets out to be a cinematic spectacle. It largely succeeds in delivering on its promise of grandeur, but the spectacle comes at the cost of character development, with the risk that the audience will struggle to connect with some of the main characters. The result is a film that impresses more than it moves.

Perhaps taking a cue from the uproar over the depiction of Lankesh in Adipurush (2023), Ramayana: Rise of a Legend , written by Shridhar Raghavan and Nitesh Tiwari, opens with the story of Ravana’s making. Played with conviction by Yash, Ravana is given a backstory that traces his rise as a powerful king, establishes his motivations and makes for an engaging introduction to this central character. This kind of course correction is welcome.

Ravana fights to establish his identity, gain power and uplift his clan, which is condemned to a life of drudgery and poverty.…