Before streaming servers caught the feed, the tape landed in Ayodhya. Sitar player Rishab Rikhiram Sharma walked into the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple this festive week carrying the first physical master of 'Rama Rama'—his standalone devotional invocation for Nitesh Tiwari's cinematic retelling of the Ramayana. He offered the track at the sanctum sanctorum, sought blessings, and immediately pushed the master onto global streaming platforms right in time for Diwali.
Call it ritual theatre or pristine showmanship. Yet for an artist walking onto Indian cinema's most scrutinised project, the symbolic pilgrimage lays down a marker. 'Darshan at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya to submit the first master of my offering, Rama Rama,' Sharma noted, formalising a creative journey that has escalated rapidly from concert auditoriums to the epicentre of Mumbai's most expensive production slate.
Yet the Ayodhya drop was merely the second act of a calculated rollout. Months earlier, Sharma struck the initial chords of 'Rama Rama' live at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi during the production's Pratham Sankalp showcase. He did not cloak his ambition in false humility. Uploading concert footage from the capital, Sharma signed off with a four-word kicker: 'See you at the Oscars.'
Bravado aside, producer Namit Malhotra has validated the sitarist's credentials on the credits sheet. At the film's promotional gathering, Malhotra confirmed Sharma's formal induction into a scoring room headlined by global heavyweights. 'Rishabh is also, in addition to Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman,' Malhotra declared, cementing an acoustic lineup designed to fuse classical Indian strings with sprawling Hollywood orchestration. Sharma will share space with two multiple Oscar winners—a daunting crucible for any traditional instrumentalist.
But scale is the defining gospel of Tiwari's enterprise. Backed by a gargantuan ₹4,000 crore budget, the production has committed to a two-part cinematic blueprint designed to dominate festival calendar dates across the late 2020s. Ranbir Kapoor leads the sprawling cast alongside Sai Pallavi, Sunny Deol, Ravi Dubey, and Yash.
The waiting game will test audience patience. The first instalment lands in theatres worldwide on November 5, 2026, anchoring the Diwali window, while the concluding chapter holds its ground for Diwali 2028. Between Ayodhya's temple steps and cinema screens across six continents, Sharma's sitar lines will face their ultimate trial.