Ramayana Movie Box Office Collection Day 9 Updates Amid Sai Pallavi Sita Controversy

By Aditya Nagar | Updated: Fri, 13 Nov 2026, 05:05 PM (IST)

Ramayana worldwide collection Day 9: Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Part 1, released on 5th November 2026, has grossed a massive Rs 9.75 crore net in India. The mythological film has become the third-fastest Indian film to make a global mark, crossing Rs 1000 crore worldwide in eight days. The movie features key starcast including Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash, Ravi Dubey, Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, and Rakul Preet Singh.

Ramayana Movie Box Office Collection Day 9: A Brief Overview of Film’s Earning Across Regional Languages

Refering to Sacnilk regarding real-time box office tracking, the film's afternoon earnings across regional languages are as follows:

Language	Earnings	Shows
Hindi	₹7.66 crore net	9,142
Tamil	₹68 lakh net	561
Telugu	₹71 lakh net	753
Kannada	₹70 lakh net	434

Mukesh Khanna Raises Objection Over Ramayana Scenes

Ramayana Movie Box Office Collection Day 9: Famous for his epic roles as Bhishma Pitamah and Indian superhero Shaktimaan, veteran actor Mukesh Khanna does not seem happy with the makers of the recently released Ramayana: Part 1, directed by Nitesh Tiwari. According to him, the film's portrayal of the characters is not factually correct. In his latest YouTube video, the actor expressed objections to the glorification of the Ramayana’s key villain, Ravana, played by South Indian actor Yash. He is upset that a negative character received more appreciation than Lord Ram, played by Ranbir Kapoor.

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According to Khanna, the strength of the script and the character’s buildup determines the actor's performance on a larger scale. He gave his own example of Bhishma Pitamah, a popular character he played in 1988 BR Chopra’s Mahabharat, saying he excelled in the role because the script was given to him on a platter. Referring to Akshaye Khanna’s negative character, Rehman Dakait, in Dhurandhar, Khanna praised his acting and credited the strong script and character buildup for its success.

Coming back to Yash’s performance as Ravana, he said it should be seen in the same context.

However, he expressed his disapproval of how Ravana was presented as larger than life, in contrast to the idealistic Lord Ram. He acknowledged that Ravana was highly learned and knew the Vedas, which Lord Ram also praised; still, the veteran actor didn’t find it appropriate to portray Ravana as higher than Ram.

Sai Pallavi Warrior Sita Criticism | Khanna Says Sita Was Presented as Action Heroine Not the Actual Sita

Ramayana Movie Box Office Collection Day 9: Khanna didn’t stop there, but raised further questions about alleged alterations to the original narrative, mainly in the depiction of Sita, played by Sai Pallavi, as a fighter. According to Khanna, Sita’s portrayal of a warrior and engaging in physical combat is not factually correct in terms of Valmiki’s Ramayana. Filmmakers have presented her as an action heroine. Even the actress Dipika Chikalia, who played Sita in old Ramayana, also does not recall such combat scenes in original Ramayana. Besides this there are some scenes involving Lakshmana and Shurpankha (Ravana’s sister).

In one scene, Sita scolds Lakshman, which, according to him, should not look like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. He also objected to the scene in which Shurpankha takes the form of Sita and approaches Ram to seduce him, which makes Lakshman fume with anger. Khanna remarked that Ravana’s sister never took her form, but a different beautiful maiden, as mentioned in Valmiki’s Ramayana.

Another aspect that annoyed Khanna was the depiction of demons as victims and gods as perpetrators, which he linked to Karl Marx’s theory of communism. He questioned where this interpretation came from and argued that the original distinction between gods and demons should not be changed. To conclude his criticism, Khanna stated that creative liberties are acceptable in fictional stories, but they should not be applied to epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Filmmakers must avoid incorporating their own interpretations.

Mukesh Khanna Criticises Ramayana Casting | Compares Ranbir to Arun Govil

Mukesh Khanna on Ranbir Kapoor as Ram: When it comes to the casting of Ramayana, Khanna doesn’t see Ranbir Kapoor as the right choice for Lord Ram. Although he acknowledged his strong performance in the film, he felt Ranbir still failed to immerse himself in the role of Lord Ram. According to him, his screen presence and mannerisms did not match the Ramayana hero. In his opinion, the actor seemed more like a conventional Hindi film warrior than a composed and dignified Ram.

According to veteran actor, Ranbir’s diction or dialogue delivery also didn't match with Lord Ram’s way of speech. His dialogue delivery sounded more like a warrior. He also compared him to Arun Govil and praised the actor who played Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan. According to Khanna, Govind captured Lord Ram's characteristics through his speech and calm smile. When asked about Govind’s performance as King Dasharatha in Ramayana, Khanna applauded his acting, saying he did well with what he was given.

Lara Dutta Defends Sai Pallavi as Sita, Says in Ancient Times, Boys & Girls from Royal Lineage Did Receive the Warfare Training

Ramayana Movie Box Office Collection Day 9: Contradicting Mukesh Khanna and critics' take on Sai Pallavi's warrior avatar as Sita, actress Lara Dutta said that in ancient times, boys and girls from royal backgrounds learned weaponry and warfare. On Sita's 14-year exile, Dutta said a woman would surely pick up weapons in her defence, rather than remain helpless and expect help from someone.

Dhanush Praises Sai Pallavi’s Sita; Says It’s Hard-to-find Sita Like Her

Besides Lara Dutta, actor Dhanush also supported Sai Pallavi's role as Sita in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana. According to him, it is hard to find any other actress beyond her across India. During a Chennai pre-release event for an upcoming film, he slammed the online criticism she has faced. Praising Sai Pallavi, Dhanush said she is a devotional person and prays during breaks between shots. The actor opines that she has the calibre to portray such a revered figure of the Ramayana with ease. He said she did a commendable job playing Sita.

Film Workers Body Objects to Reduced Ramayana Shows

Ramayana Movie Box Office Collection Day 9: The All-India Cine Workers Association (AICWA) are behind Vinod Kapri as his film Pyre continues to have trouble getting theatre space across the country. Last week Kapri said that Pyre had lost 75% of its screens following the release of Ramayana. He has been appealing to the theatre owners to reverse that decision, pointing out that Pyre had been drawing full houses.

The AICWA have written to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw requesting a full inquiry into the sudden drop in screens and a review of the distribution system. AICWA president Suresh Shyamlal Gupta in the letter points out that Pyre (a film made on a very modest budget of Rs 2.5 cr) went from 80 screens to around 400 due to the strength of word of mouth. Despite that very positive reception, the number of screens has now fallen to less than 100 following the release of Ramayana.

The AICWA president said he has no problem with Ramayana: Rise of Legend. It's a big film; it's going to create a lot of jobs for a whole host of people from the technicians right through to the junior artists. He'd like to see it be a success so that the producers can make a profit and the people who work on it can be paid on time.

He believes that the small film is the real backbone of Indian cinema. The vast majority of films made in India are small budget films and they are what provide the opportunity for new talent to get their first break. The small film producer has a very difficult time in getting the money to make their film and often they have to wait years before they can get it into the theatres and even then, they may only get a few screens. Most small films don't succeed and if the ones that do succeed are now removed then the small producer may be disincentivised from making films and the new talent may never get a chance. A lot of people may lose their jobs as a result.

The letter also sets out a number of key demands including a Fair Screen Allocation Policy and a grievance redressal mechanism to protect the interests of independent and low budget films. Pyre, directed by National Award winning filmmaker Vinod Kapri, had its theatrical release on October 30. It's the story of an old couple sitting and waiting for their children as life in their Himalayan village slips away.

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