The promotional campaign for Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana took a distinctly global turn in Mumbai this week when YouTube star MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, appeared alongside Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and the film's core creative team at a special event designed to build momentum for the long-awaited epic.
Held at the DNEG/Prime Focus office in Mumbai, the gathering brought together the film's lead cast, director Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra, with MrBeast's presence signaling how aggressively the makers are now thinking beyond the domestic market. The event was framed not merely as a celebrity appearance, but as part of a wider international outreach strategy for a project that has been described as one of the most ambitious productions in Indian cinema.
MrBeast, who is currently in India, was welcomed in traditional style before addressing the audience. Speaking warmly about the experience, he said, "It's been a lot of fun and I'm very, very grateful for you guys. It was amazing getting to see part of the movie. I mean, it looks phenomenal." His remarks were met with enthusiasm from the crowd, which had gathered to catch a glimpse of the star-studded lineup and the film's evolving promotional push.
The most widely circulated moment from the event came when someone in the audience shouted, "Jai Shree Ram!" MrBeast appeared not to understand the chant at first, prompting Ranbir Kapoor to step in and help him repeat it. MrBeast then echoed, "Jai Shree Ram!", drawing cheers from the audience and adding an unexpected viral moment to the evening. Videos from the event quickly began circulating on social media, amplifying the film's visibility well beyond the room in which the event was held.
Another clip making the rounds showed Kapoor lifting a bow as the crowd reacted loudly, further feeding the online buzz around the project. Kapoor attended the event in a blue kurta, while Sai Pallavi wore an orange-peach saree. The pair later posed for photographs with MrBeast and the rest of the team, creating a set of images that blended film promotion, celebrity spectacle and cultural symbolism.
The appearance of MrBeast at a Ramayana event is notable not only because of his enormous digital reach, but because it reflects the scale of the film's ambitions. The makers are clearly aiming to position the project as a cross-border cultural event rather than a conventional Indian-language release. That strategy is already visible in the film's planned rollout, which includes releases in major Indian languages such as Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada, alongside an international release plan that targets markets including Japan, China and Spanish-speaking territories.
Ramayana is being mounted as a two-part adaptation of Valmiki's epic. Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi portrays Sita and Yash essays Ravana. The ensemble also includes Sunny Deol as Hanuman, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, Kajal Aggarwal as Mandodari, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Arun Govil as Dasharatha, Rakul Preet Singh as Surpanakha, Sheeba Chaddha as Manthara and Adinath Kothare as Bharat, among others.
The film is being produced by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios in association with DNEG and Yash's Monster Mind Creations. According to reports, the project is being made on a budget of Rs 4,000 crore, placing it among the most expensive Indian films ever attempted. Its musical score has been composed by Academy Award winners Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman, marking their first collaboration on an Indian production and adding another layer of global prestige to the project.
The first part of Ramayana is scheduled for a worldwide release in November 2026, with the second installment planned for Diwali 2027. Namit Malhotra has previously spoken about plans to localise the film in languages including English, Spanish and Japanese, a move that suggests the makers are treating the epic not just as a national release but as a worldwide cinematic event.
For now, the Mumbai event has done what major promotional appearances are meant to do: it has generated conversation, created shareable moments and reinforced the scale of the film's ambitions. With a global internet personality like MrBeast now folded into the campaign, Ramayana is being marketed not only as a retelling of a foundational Indian epic, but as a production intended to travel far beyond India's borders.