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| Where Was Ramayana: Rise of a Legend Filmed? |
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend brings one of India's most celebrated ancient stories to the big screen, but its grand kingdoms, forest landscapes and elaborate royal settings were largely brought to life through filmmaking rather than extensive location shooting. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the 2026 mythological adventure was filmed primarily in Mumbai, Maharashtra, with Film City serving as the production's principal base.
From specially constructed palace sets to large-scale action sequences, the production transformed studio spaces into the legendary world of Rama, Sita and Ravana. Although the story travels across several mythical kingdoms and landscapes, Mumbai played the central role in creating the film's visual world.
Based on the ancient epic associated with Valmiki, the film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravi Dubey as Lakshmana and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. It follows the early journey of Prince Rama, his marriage to Sita and the events surrounding his exile from Ayodhya.
As the story moves into the Dandaka Forest and towards Lanka, the characters encounter increasingly difficult challenges. With Nitesh Tiwari directing the first instalment of a two-part cinematic adaptation, the production needed locations and sets capable of representing several different worlds without making everything look like the same palace with a different paint job.
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Mumbai was the principal filming destination for Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, with much of the production taking place at the city's established film studios. The city has long been one of India's most important filmmaking centres, offering production facilities, experienced crews, sound stages and extensive set-building capabilities. For a project of this scale, those facilities were particularly useful because the filmmakers needed to recreate ancient kingdoms and enormous architectural environments that would be difficult to capture through conventional location shooting alone.
The production reportedly began principal photography in April 2024, following preparations involving costumes and production design. Filming continued through 2025, with reports placing the completion of the first major production schedule in July that year. Mumbai's role was especially important because the production could accommodate large sets, controlled lighting arrangements and extensive visual effects work without constantly moving the entire crew between distant locations.
The city's established entertainment infrastructure also made it a practical choice for a film featuring such a large cast. Rather than travelling across India to find a separate palace, forest or royal courtyard for every sequence, the production could recreate these environments within controlled filming spaces. It is not quite as adventurous as travelling through several kingdoms, but it certainly makes managing a major production considerably easier.
Film City, Goregaon East, Mumbai
The most important filming destination associated with the movie is Film City, officially known as Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari. Located in Goregaon East, this extensive production complex served as the main filming base for Nitesh Tiwari's ambitious adaptation. Established in 1977, Film City has become one of the most recognisable filmmaking destinations in India, providing facilities for everything from television productions to major feature films.
Its extensive sound stages, outdoor filming spaces and production facilities made it suitable for creating the elaborate environments required by Ramayana: Rise of a Legend. The filmmakers reportedly constructed impressive sets representing Ayodhya, including grand palace interiors and royal architectural details designed to establish the atmosphere of Rama's kingdom. These carefully constructed environments helped bring the ancient setting to life while allowing the production team to control the appearance of individual scenes.
Film City also provided the space required for other important environments, including palace-like structures and traditional learning settings associated with the story. The production design was particularly important here, as the filmmakers needed to create a convincing visual distinction between royal residences, ceremonial spaces and the more modest surroundings associated with Rama's early life.
Another interesting aspect of Film City's contribution was its capacity to accommodate large-scale productions. With elaborate construction work, technical equipment and controlled filming conditions, the complex allowed the crew to manage sequences requiring considerable coordination. For a film involving mythological architecture, elaborate costumes and extensive visual effects, having everything operating within one major production centre was a considerable advantage.
Aksa Beach, Malad, Mumbai
Aksa Beach is another Mumbai location associated with the production. Situated in the Malad area, along the western coastline of the city, the beach is known for its long sandy shoreline, coastal atmosphere and relatively open landscape. Unlike the carefully designed palace environments at Film City, its natural surroundings offered a different visual setting for the production.
Reports about the filming arrangements specifically mentioned Yash's Ravana-related action sequences at Aksa Beach. The production was expected to use the coastal location for some of its large-scale war material, combining physical filming with green-screen techniques and visual effects. This approach allowed the filmmakers to capture certain elements on location while expanding the environment digitally during post-production.
Aksa Beach has a distinctive appearance, with its open coastline and surrounding greenery providing a useful setting for cinematic action. It is also a familiar recreational destination for Mumbai residents, although visitors generally come for the coastal scenery rather than expecting to stumble across an enormous mythological battle.
Its inclusion in the production reports demonstrates how the film combined controlled studio environments with selected outdoor locations. Rather than relying entirely on constructed sets, the filmmakers could use the natural landscape to add variety to the visual presentation.
Dahisar, Mumbai
Dahisar, located in the northern part of Mumbai, was also mentioned in reports concerning the production's filming arrangements. The area is primarily associated with residential neighbourhoods and commercial developments, but its connection to the film industry comes through its studio facilities.
According to reporting published during Yash's filming schedule in February 2025, the production was expected to move to a studio in Dahisar after completing a portion of its work in Mumbai. The reported schedule involved large-scale action material featuring the actor, who portrays Ravana.
Studio filming offered the production greater control over lighting, camera positioning and technical requirements. This was particularly useful for sequences involving elaborate costumes, choreographed action and visual effects. Such facilities can also accommodate complex set arrangements without the logistical difficulties of filming in crowded public spaces.
Dahisar's contribution is another example of how Mumbai's wider production infrastructure supports major film projects. Although Film City attracted most of the attention, the city's other studio facilities also played a role in accommodating the demands of the production.
Aarey Colony and Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Goregaon East
Aarey Colony and Sanjay Gandhi National Park are important geographical landmarks in the wider Goregaon East area, particularly when considering the landscapes surrounding Film City. Their combination of woodland, greenery and natural scenery provides a striking contrast to Mumbai's crowded urban environment.
Aarey Colony is known for its extensive green spaces, while Sanjay Gandhi National Park is one of the city's major natural attractions. The park contains forested landscapes, walking trails and historic sites, making it a particularly distinctive part of northern Mumbai.
These locations help explain the geographical character of the area surrounding Film City, where filmmakers have access to an interesting mixture of urban infrastructure and natural scenery. Their landscapes also provide useful context when considering how productions create forest environments and other outdoor settings.
For Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, the Dandaka Forest is an important part of the ancient story. However, the existence of woodland around the production complex should not be confused with documented filming at every individual green space. The distinction matters, especially when discussing filming locations rather than simply naming attractive places on a map.
My Opinion on Ramayana: Rise of a Legend's Filming Locations
What makes the filming arrangements behind Ramayana: Rise of a Legend interesting is how heavily the production relies on Mumbai's filmmaking infrastructure. A story involving ancient kingdoms, enormous forests and the legendary city of Lanka could easily have required an extensive international shooting schedule. Instead, the production demonstrates how much can be achieved through carefully designed studio environments, selected outdoor locations and visual effects.
Film City seems particularly important because it provides the space needed to create an entire world without constantly relocating the cast and crew. Aksa Beach also adds some welcome variety to the production's visual background. Personally, I find this approach more interesting than simply visiting famous landmarks and pretending they automatically make a film look spectacular. The real challenge is convincing audiences that these environments belong to the same ancient world. That takes considerable production design, not just an impressive location.
Ultimately, Ramayana: Rise of a Legend demonstrates the scale of filmmaking possible within Mumbai's established production industry. Film City remains the central location associated with the project, while Aksa Beach and Dahisar feature in reports about the wider filming arrangements.
The surrounding Aarey Colony and Sanjay Gandhi National Park also provide an interesting geographical picture of the region. Not every individual set or filming location has been publicly identified, which is understandable for a production of this size. So, which part of the film's production interests you most: the elaborate Ayodhya sets, Ravana's action sequences or the landscapes used to create the ancient world? Share your thoughts and let us know which location you would most like to explore.