Revenue Split Row Keeps Ramayana Out of Bengaluru Theatre

Bengaluru, October 30: Vijay Cinema, a single-screen cinema hall in Bengaluru, has announced that Nitesh Tiwari's upcoming film 'Ramayana' will not be released in its theatre. The hall says the move stems from a revenue-sharing dispute with the film's distributors.

The theatre operates on a model in which earnings are shared on a fixed percentage basis. According to the theatre, the distributors of 'Ramayana' are not prepared to release the film under this condition.

The theatre's statement explained that revenue from films at its venue is divided between the theatre and distributors based on screening performance and collections. The distributors of 'Ramayana' have refused to release the film under this established arrangement.

The theatre clarified that its decision is not directed against 'Ramayana' or its storyline. It described the matter as one concerning revenue-sharing terms.

Vijay Cinema also pointed out that it has adopted a comparable approach before. Earlier, it had taken a similar decision on Thalapathy Vijay's 'Jana Nayagan' and Yash's upcoming 'Toxic'. The theatre reaffirmed that the stance does not target any specific film and is instead rooted in its business policies and profit-sharing norms.

'Ramayana', directed by Nitesh Tiwari, is an film based on the Indian epic and has already generated significant conversation among viewers. Ranbir Kapoor is cast as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. Other actors in the film include Sunny Deol, Ravi Dubey, Rakul Preet Singh, Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, Vivek Oberoi and Anupam Kher.

The epic is arriving in two parts. The first part will be released on November 5 this year, while the second part is slated for next year's Diwali.