Ramayana

Ramayana is one of the most revered epic poems from ancient India, and this fall it is coming to the silver screen in a new interpretation by director Nitesh Tiwari. Notably, the music for this film is a collaboration by two film music icons: A.R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer.

For an epic film we have a suitably epic trailer, clocking in at over four minutes. To start us off, we hear a loud bell while seeing the studio logos. Then, at 0:08 it was apparently a dark and stormy night when our villain Ravana (Yash) knocked on the gates and began his path of destruction. Growling resonant deep-bass vocal tones help create an unsettling mood. At 0:25 Ravana leaps off a pile of bodies in slow motion just as all diegetic sound evaporates, leaving space for a single bass note to slide menacingly downward.

This sets up the entrance of an orchestral string section at 0:27 playing in ¾ with the ferocity of a heavy metal band. Ravana ascends to the throne as “ultimate ruler” and as the music continues, we see a montage of a winter battle in the mountains, complete with winged elephants and an epic war horn blown on screen at 0:45. The music is aggressive, angry, powerful.

But all is not lost. We are introduced to a challenger, Rama (Ranbir Kapoor). From 1:00-1:10, the music has a rising pitch, building in intensity until at 1:10 the tension breaks, when we see Rama riding across the screen on horseback. A triumphant melody is played by the brass section, accompanied by choir and tabla drums. But the rise of Rama is stopped in its tracks (and the music pauses) at 1:37 for a plot twist: Rama gets banished by Queen Kaikeyi (Lara Dutta) to live 14 years in exile.

At 1:56 we meet Rama’s wife Sita (Sai Pallavi), and the music pivots, slower now and featuring female vocals, bowed strings, and the distinctive glistening drone of a tanpura. As Rama and Sita depart into exile, choir and full orchestra highlight the significance of this moment.

From 2:29-2:59 we are set up for the inevitable showdown between Ravana and Rama, and the orchestra continues to build, with brass notes rising to ever higher pitches. Hold onto your hats though, because there’s still a full minute of action left in this trailer!

The ensuing montage is full of epic battles, stunning visuals, rapid cuts, and title cards naming the key players who brought this film to life. The music here is a midtempo orchestral piece with active and exciting percussion, and a prominent choir singing a catchy melody. In a tip of the hat to modern Hollywood action trailers, we even get some trailer triplets at 3:43.

This film is a massive undertaking, but from the looks and sounds of this extended trailer, with an all-star Indian cast, powerful cinematography and music scored by some of the most accomplished composers in the business, Ramayana feels ready to impress.

Ramayana arrives in theatres on November 6th, just in time for Diwali.

— Jack Hui Litster