Broadway Ramlila Returns to Live Stage as Ramayana Takes the Big Screen

Aryan Heritage Foundation presents a deeper, more insightful, and breathtakingly Grand Broadway Ramlila from October 14th to 19th, 2026, at Netaji Subhash Place (Opposite NDM 2), Pitampura, New Delhi . Created by Rajender Mittal and Directed by Shashidharan Nair, the three-hour production brings together live theatre, large-scale sets, technology, music, choreography, visual effects and more than 100 performers to present the timeless story of the Ramayana on an expansive live stage.

With a much-awaited new screen adaptation of the Ramayana set to bring the epic on an unprecedented cinematic scale, the timeless story of Bhagwan Ram is once again at the centre of popular conversation. In Delhi, however, the Ramayana has already been reimagined on a scale rarely seen in live theatre. Broadway Ramlila combines the grandeur and visual scale of cinema with the immediacy of a live performance, while placing due emphasis on the emotional journey of its characters. This year, the production takes the theme “Charitron Ka Adhyayan – The Study of Characters,” exploring the human dimensions of characters and moments that have defined the epic.

Broadway Ramlila places due emphasis on the emotional journey within the spectacle. The story is familiar, but its most powerful moments remain deeply human — Kaikeyi's change from a loving queen to the one who asks for Rama's exile, Dashrath's helplessness as a father, and Rama's acceptance of a decision that costs him his kingdom. These moments give Ramayana its emotional weight, and the production brings that human dimension to the forefront.

The scale of this production has become one of its defining features. Large stage environments, 3D visual design, elaborate costumes, lighting, choreography and special effects recreate the world of Ayodhya, the forests and Lanka on a live stage. With more than 100 meticulously auditioned actors and performers, the production is considerably larger in scale than a conventional Ramlila.

At the centre of this storytelling is Sourabh Raaj Jain, as the voice of a modern-day grandfather narrating the story of the Ramayana to his grandchildren, Luv and Kush. It gives the production a simple but powerful storytelling frame — an ancient epic being passed from one generation to the next.

Music remains an equally important part of the experience. Composed by Chandra Kamal & Bharat Kamal, this production features 20 Original Soundtracks, with voices including Udit Narayan and Kailash Kher, bringing a contemporary musical scale to the traditional narrative. The combination of live performance, music, visual effects and choreography gives Broadway Ramlila a distinctly cinematic quality, while retaining the immediacy of theatre.

Rajender Mittal, President of Aryan Heritage Foundation, tells us “Broadway Ramlila has helped popularise the idea of presenting the Sampurn Ramayana within a single evening, taking audiences through the complete journey rather than restricting the performance to selected episodes. The challenge is considerable: condensing an epic of enormous scale while retaining the characters and turning points that define it. That is why, the theme of this year’s Broadway Ramlila is Charitron Ka Adhyayan- The Study of Characters.”

Chairman Ishwar Bansal says “It is our endeavour to spread the message of Ramayana to the masses, and it is our sincere effort to stick to the original story, the Itihaas as written by Sage Valmiki, without compromising on scale and grandeur. Since its inception in 2015, Broadway Ramlila has steadily expanded the possibilities of how the Ramayana can be presented to a modern audience, including taking its production to cinemas in 2020, long before any other Ramayana movie.”

General Secretary Anil Garg says “A Production of this magnitude requires teamwork, and all 25 members of Aryan Heritage Foundation work tirelessly for 2 months to make it happen. From land booking to getting permissions, from fund collection to arrangements, from food courts to promotions, every member is totally dedicated to fulfilling their duties.”

Treasurer Ajay Gupta points out “As Broadway Ramlila is scaling up each year, our budget is also scaling up. Every year we wonder how we will collect such funds, but Shri Ram somehow rids us of all hurdles, and people themselves come forward to support and associate with Broadway Ramlila.”

Its 2026 edition arrives at a particularly significant moment, with the Ramayana once again commanding attention on a global scale. Broadway Ramlila offers a different experience – one in which the grandeur unfolds only a few meters away, with performers, music and audience sharing the same space.

Broadway Ramlila 2026 will be presented from October 14th to 19th, 2026 at Netaji Subhash Place, Opposite NDM2, Pitampura, New Delhi, bringing together the scale of a modern theatrical production with the enduring story of the Ramayana.