IT Raids at Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios Over ₹4,000 Crore Ramayana Project

Just weeks before the release of his highly anticipated film Ramayana. Filmmaker Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Ltd faced a major setback as the Income Tax Department launched searches at the Mumbai offices of the company on October 7.

The searches, which continued into Wednesday morning, were reportedly linked to certain foreign remittance transactions. However, details about the specific transactions being examined have not been disclosed. The development also weighed on Prime Focus' stock, which reportedly dropped around 8% in morning trading on October 7.

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Founded by Namit Malhotra in 1997, Prime Focus Studios began in Mumbai and has since grown into a global company providing visual effects, post-production, animation and technology services to the film and television industries. Prime Focus is also closely associated with DNEG, the Oscar-winning visual-effects company that became part of the wider Prime Focus ecosystem.

Ramayana, an epic mythological film based on Valmiki's ancient Sanskrit epic, is being mounted as a global-scale cinematic spectacle. Helmed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman and Yash as Ravana, along with Anupam Kher, Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, Vivek Oberoi, Kunal Kapoor, Adinath Kothare, Arun Govil, Indira Krishnan and Lara Dutta in key roles.

Backed by an estimated ₹4,000 crore budget. The highly anticipated film is poised to become one of the most costly and ambitious Indian productions to date.

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At the San Diego Comic-Con, Namit shed light on the project's unique blend of influences, likening it to a fusion of Avatar, Gladiator, and The Lord of the Rings. According to Namit, the film's narrative centers around Lord Vishnu, a deity tasked with restoring balance and reviving life, a concept that draws parallels to the mythological and epic storytelling of these iconic franchises.

The film will release in two parts, with the first part hitting theatres on Diwali 2026. It remains to be seen how this development will impact the film's release and the overall success of the project.