Ramayana English Version: What’s Cut From the Hindi

If you watched Ramayana in a US theater and your cousin in Delhi keeps mentioning scenes you never saw, you are not imagining it. Nitesh Tiwari’s epic shipped in two different theatrical cuts: the full Hindi version, and a tighter English version built for audiences who have never heard of Bharat or Jatayu. Here is exactly what is different, and which one you should pick.

How long is the English version of Ramayana?

So the gap is roughly half an hour. The English cut is not just the Hindi film with the songs snipped out. Sai Pallavi has said the missing portions go beyond the music, and Yash has described the shorter length as a choice the team made together for global viewers.

What scenes are cut from Ramayana’s English version?

• Most of Bharat Milap. Bharat’s visit to Ram in exile, where he breaks the news of King Dasharath’s death and begs Ram to come back, is largely gone. It is the scene that shows Bharat had no part in Kaikeyi’s plan, and it also carries Lakshman’s anger at Bharat.
• Jatayu’s early introduction. In Hindi, Jatayu first appears during the Bharat Milap stretch, so his later fight with Ravan lands harder. In English, you meet him much closer to that fight.
• The weddings and life in Ayodhya. The Hindi cut shows all four brothers marrying, as Ram wished, plus more of everyday Ayodhya. The English cut barely touches this.
• Songs and a montage. Rahman’s songs are out, and a montage of Ram and Sita with the people of Ayodhya is trimmed, along with parts of some action scenes.

Why did the makers cut Ramayana for the US and UK?

The idea is simple: an American audience walking in cold does not know who Bharat, Urmila or Mandavi are, and a three-hour-plus runtime with musical breaks is a hard sell in multiplexes built around two-hour films. The English cut keeps the story moving in a straight line from Ayodhya to the forest to Lanka.

The trade-off is emotion. Bharat Milap is one of the most loved parts of the epic for Indian families, and without it Ram’s decisions in the second half have less weight. Several international reviews have also questioned whether the dubbed English performances carry the same feeling as the original.

Is the English version dubbed with AI?

The voices are not AI. The cast, including Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi, recorded their own English lines, and dubbing artists voiced the rest. What AI does is reshape lip movements so mouths match the English words, using DNEG’s Brahma AI tool. That is why the English version looks less “dubbed” than you might expect, even if some viewers find the delivery a little flat.

Which version should you watch: Hindi or English?

• Watch the Hindi version (with subtitles) if you grew up with the Ramayan, want the songs, or care about Bharat and the family drama. This is the director’s full film.
• Watch the English version if you are taking friends who don’t know the story, have kids who won’t sit for three hours, or simply want the faster, action-forward cut.
• Seeing it twice? Go English first with non-Indian friends, then catch the Hindi cut to fill in the gaps.

In the US, many theaters run both, but not every location does. Check the showtime listing for “Hindi” or “Rise of a Legend” before you buy.

Runtime and scene details: Sacnilk.

Keep reading

Ramayana Post-Credit Scene Explained: Sunny Deol’s Hanuman, the “Jai Shree Ram” Roar and the Part 2 Date Ramayana Part 1 Cast: Who Plays Whom in Nitesh Tiwari’s Epic (Full Character Guide) Ramayana North America Box Office: USA and Canada Collection and Pre-Sales Tracker

Frequently asked questions