Salman Khan on Ramayana: Focus on Ram, Sita, Ravan — not VFX or ₹4,000 crore budget
Synopsis
Salman Khan took aim at the noise surrounding Ramayana — its ₹4,000 crore budget, VFX, and casting — arguing the conversation should return to Ram, Sita, and Ravan. Speaking at an event for his own Galwan-inspired war-drama Maatrubhumi, Khan also shut down rumours of government pressure to change the script, putting two of Bollywood's most politically charged projects in the spotlight at once.
Key Takeaways
Salman Khan said the debate around Ramayana should focus on its mythological narrative — Ram, Sita and Ravan — not on its reported ₹4,000 crore budget or VFX.
Khan made the remarks at a special event for his film Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace in Andheri West, Mumbai on 6 November 2026 .
Ramayana 's music features A.
Rahman and Hans Zimmer — a collaboration that has itself drawn wide attention.
Maatrubhumi , formerly titled Galwan , is based on the 15 June 2020 India-China clash that killed 20 Indian soldiers — the deadliest bilateral face-off in over four decades.
Khan denied reports that the government pressured him to alter the film's script.
Bollywood star Salman Khan on Friday, 6 November 2026, called for public discourse around the Indian epic film Ramayana to centre on its mythological narrative rather than its reported ₹4,000 crore production budget, visual effects, or casting. Khan made the remarks at a special event for his upcoming war-drama Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace, held in the Andheri West area of Mumbai.
What Salman Said About Ramayana
'I think the discussion around Ramayana should be focused on Ramayana, and not the VFX, cost of production and other peripherals,' Khan told the media. 'This entire narrative of INR 4000 crores around the film, and its VFX is redundant. The discussion should be around Ramayana, Ram, Sita and Ravan.'
The epic has drawn considerable attention since its announcement — not only for its reported budget but also for its casting and its music, which is being composed by Oscar and Grammy-winning composer A. R. Rahman in collaboration with legendary composer Hans Zimmer. Khan's remarks reflect a wider sentiment among some in the industry that the spectacle surrounding a film's production can overshadow its creative and cultural substance.
About Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace
Khan's own film, formerly titled Galwan, is a war-drama based on the Galwan Valley clash of 15 June 2020 — the deadliest India-China face-off in over four decades. Set against the backdrop of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the film recounts the violent confrontation between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh, along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), as both sides attempted to patrol disputed areas.
The clash resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers; China also suffered casualties, though Beijing has not publicly confirmed a full count. The standoff prompted both nations to increase troop deployments and engage in diplomatic channels to prevent further escalation. Relations between India and China have since improved, with multiple diplomatic channels now active.
Script Controversy Denied
Khan also addressed circulating reports that the government had pressured him to alter the film's script. He denied the claims outright, offering no further elaboration. The denial is notable given the politically sensitive subject matter of the film and the ongoing diplomatic thaw between New Delhi and Beijing.
Why This Story Matters
The event brings together two of the most-anticipated Bollywood projects in recent memory — Ramayana and Maatrubhumi — in a single news cycle. Khan's comments on Ramayana arrive as the film continues to dominate entertainment conversations, while his own project navigates the charged space where national history, patriotism, and geopolitics intersect with popular cinema. How audiences and critics respond to both films could shape the direction of big-budget Indian filmmaking for years to come.
Point of View
But they also arrive at a convenient moment — his own film Maatrubhumi is squarely in the zone where patriotism, state sensitivity, and commercial cinema overlap. The script-tampering denial is the more significant disclosure: it signals that even a star of Khan's stature feels the need to publicly distance his project from political interference, which itself tells us something about the climate in which these films are being made. Meanwhile, the Ramayana conversation he wants refocused is partly a product of the industry's own marketing apparatus, which built the ₹4,000 crore narrative deliberately to generate scale and anticipation. Calling it 'redundant' now may be sincere — or it may simply reflect a veteran reading the room before his own release.
NationPress
6 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Salman Khan say about the Ramayana film?
Salman Khan said the public discussion around the film Ramayana should focus on its mythological story — Ram, Sita, and Ravan — rather than its reported ₹4,000 crore budget or VFX. He called the production-cost narrative 'redundant' at a media event in Mumbai on 6 November 2026.
What is Salman Khan's upcoming film Maatrubhumi about?
Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace, formerly titled Galwan, is a war-drama based on the 15 June 2020 Galwan Valley clash between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh. The violent confrontation resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and was the deadliest India-China face-off in over four decades.
Did the government pressure Salman Khan to change his film's script?
No — Salman Khan denied these rumours at the Mumbai event on 6 November 2026, though he did not elaborate further. The denial addresses speculation about political interference given the film's sensitive geopolitical subject matter.
Who is composing the music for the Ramayana film?
The music for Ramayana is being composed by Oscar and Grammy-winning composer A. R. Rahman in collaboration with legendary composer Hans Zimmer. The pairing has been one of the most-discussed aspects of the project alongside its reported ₹4,000 crore budget and casting.
Why has the Ramayana film attracted so much attention beyond its story?
The film has drawn attention for its reported production budget of ₹4,000 crore, its high-profile casting, and the unprecedented collaboration between A. R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer on its score. Critics and industry observers have debated whether the spectacle overshadows the mythological narrative at the film's core — a concern Salman Khan publicly echoed.
