Dil Raju, one of Telugu cinema's most influential producers and distributors, has reportedly shared his first review of "Ramayanam," the 1996 child-artist drama directed by Gunasekhar. The film, which released on April 14, 1996, remains a curiosity in Tollywood history precisely because every major role - from Lord Rama to Ravana - was performed by a child artist. According to the buzz circulating on November 5, 2026, Dil Raju's response has renewed interest in the title and in the unusual experiment it represented three decades ago.
The film's story follows Lord Rama and his retaliation against Ravana, with the ensemble cast drawn entirely from young performers. N.T. Rama Rao Jr., who has since become one of Telugu cinema's biggest stars, played Rama. Smitha Madhav appeared as Sita, Swathi Kumar as Ravana, Nikhil Narayanam as Lakshmana, and Arun Gangadhar as Anjaneya. Anand Vardhan took on the dual task of playing Sage Valmiki and the young Anjaneya, while Amjad Khan featured as Kumbhakarna and Adithya Varma as Dasharatha. The film runs 160 minutes and carries a TMDb rating of 6 out of 10, a middling score that reflects how such an ambitious casting concept has been received over the years.
Dil Raju's Review Draws Fresh Attention
Details of Dil Raju's review have been described as a first look at his reaction, and the interest it has generated says as much about his standing in the industry as about the film itself. A producer of his stature rarely comments on smaller or older titles, so even a brief assessment tends to travel quickly among exhibitors, distributors and moviegoers. For a generation that knows N.T. Rama Rao Jr. mainly through his adult roles, the notion of watching him as a child play Rama is the headline attraction. The film's family-friendly framing - it is classified as a drama and family title - aligns with the devotional subject matter, and the child cast gives the narrative a different emotional register than the star-driven mythologicals Tollywood usually produces.
A Cast of Children Carrying an Epic
What makes "Ramayanam" unusual is not the story, which has been adapted countless times, but the decision to hand every significant part to a child. That choice places enormous weight on young performers, and the film's legacy rests largely on how they handled roles normally reserved for seasoned actors. N.T. Rama Rao Jr.'s turn as Rama is the most scrutinized today, given his later career. Smitha Madhav's Sita and Swathi Kumar's Ravana are equally central to whether the experiment succeeds. Nikhil Narayanam's Lakshmana and Arun Gangadhar's Anjaneya round out the core ensemble, while Anand Vardhan's double duty as Sage Valmiki and the young Anjaneya adds an interesting layer to the casting. Amjad Khan as Kumbhakarna and Adithya Varma as Dasharatha complete the principal lineup, with the veteran presence of Amjad Khan standing out in a film otherwise built on newcomers.
Gunasekhar directed the project in the mid-1990s, a period when mythological and devotional films still held a dependable place in Telugu cinema. His approach here was to treat the epic seriously while letting the youth of the cast carry the emotion. That balance is difficult, and the 6/10 rating suggests audiences found it serviceable rather than exceptional. Still, the film has stayed in conversation for its concept, and any fresh commentary on it tends to revive debate about whether child-led mythologicals can work for modern viewers.
For Telugu Movie Buzz readers, the revived discussion is a reminder that Tollywood's history includes more experiments than its biggest hits suggest. "Ramayanam" was released in 1996, ran 160 minutes, and belongs to the drama and family genres. Its original language is Telugu, and it remains a Tollywood production through and through. Dil Raju's review, whatever its finer points, has done what few retrospective pieces manage: it has sent viewers back to a film that treated one of the most familiar stories in Indian culture as a showcase for young talent. Whether that attention leads to a wider reassessment is unclear, but the conversation around the film is once again alive, and that alone is notable for a title that has spent decades on the margins of mainstream discussion.
Source: Filmibeat Telugu
