Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha producer alleges negative marketing, to re-release

Producer Prakash Mahobiya said Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha will return to cinemas after its brief theatrical run. He alleged negative marketing hurt the film's reach and said the team wants audiences to judge it after watching it.

In Short

• Prakash Mahobiya alleged that negative marketing hurt the film
• Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha will be re-released in theatres
• The producer said no reshoots are planned

Producer Prakash Mahobiya has alleged that Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha was hurt by negative buzz during its theatrical run and said the film will be re-released in cinemas. In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Mahobiya said the film did not get enough time to reach its intended audience before it left theatres.

Mahobiya, a first-time producer, claimed that people who watched the film responded well, but said many others never got the chance to see it. He also alleged that negative comments about the film were circulated among YouTubers and influencers, and said the team believes competition around the Ramayan subject may have played a role.

“It was negative marketing throughout. We never got a chance to reach our audience. The ones who watched our film really enjoyed it. But if they never got to see it, how will they even have an opinion?” Mahobiya said.

Claiming that there may have been paid marketing to spread negative buzz around his film, he said, “From what we have been told, there are other movies on the same subject coming in, the big-budget film. As far as we know, a lot of negative marketing opportunities have been given to YouTubers, influencers and other people. They are spreading wrong information and asking people not to watch our film.”

When asked if he was accusing Nitesh Tiwari and Namit Malhotra’s team of doing so, Mahobiya said, “I don’t know for sure, but that’s what we are being told.”

Plan to return to theatres

Mahobiya said his project had been announced well before the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer on the same subject. He said that by the time the latter was announced, his team had already begun shooting and was ready to release the film in theatres.

The producer said he was now more concerned about giving the film another chance than about the financial loss from its first theatrical run. “I have made a film for the first time, and I am new to this industry. I have no idea how to market a film after making it. We are not afraid of the loss, but we are disappointed that not many people managed to watch it. And hence, we want to release the film again,” he said.

Audience feedback and next steps

Mahobiya said his team had sought feedback from audiences in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, and claimed that the response from those who watched the film was positive. He said a new release date has not yet been decided, but added that the team has a complete plan in place.

He also said there are no plans for reshoots at this stage and that the film will return largely in its current form, with the makers waiting to see how audiences respond when they get another chance to watch it.

Calling the experience a learning curve, Mahobiya said, “We are learning; it’s our first experience. We are happy that we have made it well. You cannot make a Ramanand Sagar Ramayan. But we wanted to make a film celebrating what we witnessed on screen as children. There is a lot of difference between your film and the other film that will arrive soon. But we are confident that, given a chance, people would have liked our film too.”

Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha stars Anjali Arora, Dev Sharma and Rajneish Duggal in lead roles.

- Ends