The makers of 'Ramayana' stirred controversy on social media, after releasing a poster featuring Yash as Ravana with a poster that read, 'Ravan Raj'. The poster appears to be a still from the film's trailer.

Team 'Ramayana' releases Ravana poster

The post was shared on the official handle with the caption, "Dev Lok. Prithvi Lok. Paatal Lok. Teeno Loko Mein Ek Hi Raj Hoga. Ravan Raj!"While the poster was simply promotional material, its timing - on the occasion of Janmashtami - irked some social media users. The post quickly drew criticism across Instagram, X and Reddit, with several users questioning the decision to release a poster of the film's antagonist on a day associated with the birth of Lord Krishna.

Netizens slam 'Ramayana' team for Ravana poster release

One user questioned, “Who posts a Ravan poster on Janmastami???? Like are you serious?”Another criticised the timing, saying, “This is extremely disrespectful to Bhagwan Vishnu. Why the hell would they choose Krishna Janmashtami to release a Ravana poster? Everything about this marketing strategy feels completely wrong. The marketing team seriously needs to get its priorities straight.”

Fans ask for poster of Lord Vishnu

A fan also expressed disappointment, writing, “@worldoframayana you could've posted a picture of Bhagwan Vishnu instead of Ravana on this paavana avasara of Shri Krishna Janmashtmi A as a fan and a constant supporter of this project, I'm very disappointed”Another post in Hindi read, “Janmasthami pr Ravana Raj kyon, Bhagwaan vishnu ya Shri Ram ka kuch daalo na, aur naye asset toh daaloge nhi, trailer ke shots hi repeat kar rahe bas, aapse acchi marketing aapke fans ki hain, bakwaas marketing team”Other reactions included, “Today is janmashtami why did you post ravana poster” and “On janmashtami u r promoting with ravan raaj, how dumb exactly are u guys? u could have shared the still of lord vishnu from trailer.”Criticism continued, with one user saying, “The best day to post a Ravana still is Janmashtmi, this is either clownery or utter disrespected if done deliberately. You’ve not even wished Janamashtami once which is one of the major Hindu festival and the best thing you felt was to release a Ravana still and not even lord Vishnu. Are you guys serious on what you are doing, we are promoting this movie day and night because we have trust on you and you are giving this in return”Some social media users even went as far as speculating that the makers may have inadvertently released an asset more suited for the festival of Dussehra and accidentally released it on the occasion of Janmashtami.

'Ramayana' team releases Lord Rama poster

It must be noted that while the post of Ravana was shared early Friday evening, it was followed up hours later with a poster of Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram. The post, meant to be a follow-up, read, "He is always the answer. Our Hero. Our Protector. Rama."Besides starring Ranbir as Lord Rama and Yash as Ravana, the Nitesh Tiwari directorial will also see Sai Palli as Sita and is rumoured to feature Sourabh Raaj Jain as Lord Vishnu. The film, a two-part epic, will see Part 1 releasing on Diwali, November 8, 2026 in India and November 6, 2026 globally. Meanwhile, Part 2 is slated for a Diwali 2027 release.