Ramayana : The Legend of Prince Rama

In Ayodhya, capital of the Kosala kingdom, four princes are born to three queens. Court intrigue sends Prince Rama into exile for fourteen years, and he withdraws to the forest with his wife Sita. The abduction of Sita, the help of Hanuman and the reckoning with Ravana all follow from there. The film has a story of its own. The Japanese producer Yugo Sako became interested in the Ramayana in 1983 while working on a documentary about Indian archaeology. After a Hindu organisation objected to a text at the center of Indian culture being adapted in Japan, Indian animators were brought into the production, and what emerged was a Japanese and Indian co-production. Sako directed alongside Koichi Sasaki and Ram Mohan, with music by Vanraj Bhatia. It first screened at the 24th International Film Festival of India. In January 2025 it returned to cinemas in 4K with Hindi, Tamil and Telugu dubs. Who it's for: Viewers curious about Indian mythology, classical hand-drawn animation and cross-cultural productions. Who it's not for: The telling stays faithful to the epic but moves fast, and the characters stay on the surface. Some passages will feel context-free if you do not know the epic.