West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday declared that the much-awaited Hindi epic 'Ramayana' will be tax-free in the state, giving a major boost to one of the most ambitious Indian films ever mounted. The announcement came during a grand Dussehra celebration organised by the Salt Lake Sanskritik Sansad at Central Park in Salt Lake, Kolkata, where the film's leading stars Ranbir Kapoor and Yash had arrived to take part in the festivities.
The event, held under the theme 'Ram Er Ayodhya - Ram Ki Ayodhya', drew thousands of people and turned into a celebration of the Ramayana itself. Speaking to the news agency ANI on the occasion, the Chief Minister confirmed the tax exemption and placed 'Ramayana' alongside other films that have received similar treatment in the state.
"The Ramayana film has been made tax-free. The Kerala Story, The Kashmir Files, and The Bengal Files - all of these will be (or have been) made tax-free, and the same will apply to Ramayana," Adhikari said. He went on to speak about the growing slate of films based on Indian mythology, suggesting that more such epics could reach the big screen in the coming years. "In the days to come, we will see films on Shri Krishna and Arjuna, as well as the Mahabharata," he added.
The announcement drew loud applause from the gathering, which included the film's producer Namit Malhotra, director Nitesh Tiwari and actor Ravie Dubey, besides Ranbir Kapoor and Yash. A large statue of Lord Ram dominated the venue, which also featured immersive visual displays, cultural performances and a drone light show. The Chief Minister himself took part in the traditional Ravan Dahan ceremony, setting fire to a 60-foot effigy of Ravana as the crowd watched.
Ranbir Kapoor, who plays Lord Rama in the film, thanked the Chief Minister and the people of Kolkata for welcoming the team to the city. Calling it a privilege to celebrate Dussehra in Kolkata, the actor spoke about the festival's enduring message of the victory of good over evil.
"Dussehra reminds us of a very beautiful thing: no matter how powerful evil may be, ultimately, truth and goodness triumph," Ranbir said. He encouraged people to spread love and happiness and to remain committed to the path of truth. On behalf of the film's team, he wished the audience a happy Dussehra and ended his message with the chant "Jai Shri Ram".
Yash, the Kannada superstar who essays the role of Ravana, spoke about his personal connection with Kolkata. He recalled that he had begun his theatre journey in the city around 2004-2005, when he travelled there by train after getting an opportunity to work backstage during a festival. Returning to Kolkata now as a film actor brought back memories of those early days, he said.
Yash also fondly remembered the sweets he had enjoyed during that visit, particularly rasgullas and gulab jamuns. He said he had eaten sweets from breakfast until evening and still remembered the experience, drawing laughter and cheers from the audience.
The tax exemption is expected to make tickets more affordable for audiences across West Bengal, potentially supporting the film's theatrical prospects in a key market ahead of its release. 'Ramayana', conceived as the first instalment of a planned two-part cinematic saga, is a Hindi-language mythological film based on the ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to Valmiki.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, who has co-written the screenplay with Shridhar Raghavan, it brings the story of Prince Rama of Ayodhya, his exile and his journey to the big screen on an unprecedented scale.
The film's ensemble cast features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama and Sai Pallavi as Sita, with Yash playing Ravana. Sunny Deol appears as Hanuman and Ravie Dubey portrays Lakshman. The project is produced by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios in collaboration with DNEG, which has won eight Academy Awards, and Yash's Monster Mind Creations.
The first part of the two-part epic is scheduled for a worldwide release on November 5, 2026, while the second part is planned for Diwali 2027. The film will be released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, underlining its ambition as a pan-India release.
The makers have already opened advance bookings for the film, and early trade reports suggest strong interest, with day-one advance collections estimated at around Rs 4.78 crore, according to industry tracker Sacnilk, with Maharashtra and Delhi leading the collections.
Producer Namit Malhotra has also announced plans for a wider Ramayana cinematic universe, with a standalone Hanuman film reportedly in the works and character spin-offs centred on figures such as Surpanakha, Jatayu, Indrajit and Angad.
The Chief Minister's announcement comes as the state's Durga Puja festivities draw to a close. On the occasion, Adhikari also expressed grief over the incident at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata's Chorbagan area and extended his support to the affected family. "We also carry a deep pain in our hearts regarding the incident at the Durga Puja pandal in the Chorbagan area. From this very stage, we offered prayers for those affected as well. We observed a moment of silence. Everyone stands with the grieving family," he said.
The Chief Minister's decision to use the Dussehra stage for the announcement carried its own symbolism. Dussehra marks the victory of Lord Ram over Ravana, and the theme of the evening - 'Ram Er Ayodhya - Ram Ki Ayodhya' - was woven into every element of the programme, from the towering effigy to the immersive visuals narrating the epic.
For the film's team, the timing could not have been better: with Diwali just weeks away, the festive season is traditionally one of the strongest windows for big-ticket releases in Indian cinema.
Industry watchers note that a tax exemption directly reduces the cost of a movie ticket for viewers, since the state GST component on admission charges is waived. For a spectacle of this scale - a two-part epic that has been years in the making, backed by Oscar-winning visual-effects house DNEG and shot for a pan-India audience across five languages - wider footfalls in a major market like West Bengal could prove significant.
The film also arrives at a time when mythological storytelling is enjoying a strong commercial run, with audiences responding enthusiastically to large-format retellings of Indian epics.
Tax exemptions have frequently been used by state governments to encourage viewership of films deemed to have social or cultural significance, and the move puts 'Ramayana' in a select list of recent titles granted such benefits. With Diwali approaching and the film's release only weeks away, the tax-free status in West Bengal is likely to further intensify the buzz around one of the biggest releases of the year.
(Reporting based on The Statesman, The Times of India, Republic World and Bollywood Hungama.)