Titanic had held the title of the most costly movie in the world for years. Its budget was a little over $200 million. At the time, the budgets for the costliest Indian movies were about $10 million (₹36–40 crores at the exchange rate of the time). The gap was substantial. That gap has shrunk as Indian film has grown. Kalki 2898 AD, the most expensive Indian film to date, has a reported budget of over $70 million (₹600 crore), which is close to the $447 million production expense of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the most expensive film in the world.

However, the order will change if we take one director's word for it. The scale of an Indian movie is being produced such that even Avatar and the Avengers will seem little in comparison. With a claimed budget of ₹4000 crore, this movie is several times more expensive than any film ever made in India and even most of Hollywood.

The priciest movie in India

Ramayana, directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra, is undoubtedly the most daring Indian film ever created. According to recent reports, the two-part movie is being produced with a budget of ₹1600 crore ($100 million) for each installment. However, the movie's producer has now stated that the true amount is much larger, at ₹4000 billion. Namit stated on The Prakhar Gupta Xperience podcast, "When we set out to make it, 6-7 years ago, when we really got serious about mounting it, everybody called me a lunatic, because no Indian film comes close to it budgetwise." In plain terms, when we finish both movies—Part 1 and Part 2—it will cost over ₹4000 crore, or around $500 million.

"We are producing the biggest picture in the world for the finest narrative the world should see," the filmmaker said. In comparison to some of the major Hollywood movies, I still believe it to be less expensive. I believe we're producing a larger movie for less money. That Indian part of me still thinks that we are not being reckless with our money.

How the Ramayana Budget Compares to the Largest Films of All Time

With a budget of ₹4,000 crore, it overshadows everything else ever produced in India. The budget is significantly more than the total production expenses of Adipurush ( ₹550 crore), RRR ( ₹500 crore), and Kalki 2898 AD ( ₹600 crore), even when you take into account that Ramayana is actually two movies in one. However, these were all separate movies. Baahubali is the best choice if you want to compare back-to-back productions. The two films from SS Rajamouli, on the other hand, will only cost ₹430 crore, which is one-ninth of the cost of Ramayana.

Some Hollywood movies don't even compare. The budget for Avatar was $237 million, while the Avengers films cost over $300 million. Unless we do back-to-back productions, the Ramayana won't be the world's largest film. The Hobbit trilogy cost $623 million, but the third and fourth Avengers movies, Infinity War and Endgame, collectively cost over $700 million. The only projects with higher costs than the $500 million that has been stated for Ramayana are these.

Everything about the Ramayana

Ramayana, a two-part film, is directed by Nitesh Tiwari, with the first half scheduled for release on Diwali 2026 and the second half in 2027. Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Ram, Yash plays Ravana, Sai Pallavi plays Sita, Ravi Dubey plays Lakshman, and Sunny Deol plays Hanuman in the movie. The movie's soundtrack is the result of a partnership between the renowned Hans Zimmer, who is making his Bollywood debut, and AR Rahman.

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