India’s Reliance Animation Academy and Tenali Rama Animation have released ‘Ravana – The Lost Battle with Shri Ram’, one of India’s first student-led theatrical feature films produced through an industry and education partnership.
The project focuses on the many-headed demon lord Ravana, whose abduction of Princess Sita sparks a climactic war at the heart of the Ramayana, one of the foundational epics of Hinduism, attributed to the sage Valmiki and revered throughout South and Southeast Asia. While most film adaptations depict Ravana as a simple villain, this film aims to present a more complex interpretation of the character. This epic is a 1993 Japan-India co-produced animation (re-released in 4K in India in 2025) directed by Yugo Sako, Ram Mohan and Koichi Sasaki, starring Ranbir Kapoor as Rama and Ravana. It has influenced countless screens, including an upcoming big-budget live-action film directed by Nitesh Tiwari starring Yash in the lead role, scheduled to hit theaters on Diwali in 2026.
The new projects will be created using a hybrid AI and 3D animation pipeline, with selected students from Reliance Animation Academy working on the entire production under the guidance of industry experts. The Film and Television Institute of India will act as an academic and creative mentor and conduct intensive 5-7 day workshops as part of the collaboration. It is aiming for a theatrical release in summer 2027, followed by TV and streaming.
Reliance Animation Studios is producing the film with Tenali Rama Animation as co-producers. The film directly quotes the text of ‘Srimad Valmiki Ramayana’.
Tejonidhi Vidyasagar Bhandare, CEO of Reliance Animation, who initiated the initiative, said, “Instead of learning only through classroom assignments, students will be participating in the production of an actual feature film.” “‘Ravana – The Lost Battle with Shri Ram’ is an opportunity to combine storytelling, technology and education to prepare students for the global animation industry while bringing Indian mythology to life for modern audiences.”
Reliance Entertainment Group CEO Shivashish Sarkar said the project “reinforces India’s potential to emerge as a global hub for high-quality hybrid animation models and storytelling.”
Radha Radhakrishnan, co-founder and CEO of Tenali Rama Animation, said the film aims to offer a “visually rich and compelling cinematic experience rooted in the ‘Srimad Valmiki Ramayana’,” adding that the collaboration reflects “a larger commitment to mentor emerging animation talent and strengthen a meaningful creative ecosystem for the future.”
The production targets Indian audiences in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the global diaspora. Participating students are expected to graduate with professional production credits.
Reliance Animation Studios has previously produced the ‘Little Krishna’ television series, the movie ‘Krishna Aur Kanth’, the animated series ‘Little Singham’ and ‘Golmaal Junior’. and ‘Smashing Simmba’ in association with filmmaker Rohit Shetty. Bangalore-based Tenali Rama Animation operates out of the NS Raghavan Center for Entrepreneurial Learning at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB-NSRCEL) and creates content drawn from Indian epics and scriptures across animation, books, games and immersive formats.
