New Delhi, 19 Sept

"Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama", the much-loved 1999 Japanese-Indian anime film, will be released theatrically in India for the first time. It became popular with Indian audiences upon its re-runs on TV channels in the early 2000s.

Directed by Yugo Sako, Ram Mohan and Koichi Sasaki, the animated film will hit the cinema halls on 18 October in the 4K format in Hindi, English, Tamil and Telugu languages.

Geek Pictures India, AA Films and Excel Entertainment will distribute "Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Ram" across India cinema halls. "The Ramayana in anime is a ground-breaking testament to the strength of Indo-Japan collaborations. This fresh, dynamic portrayal of the timeless legend of Ram will undoubtedly strike a chord with audiences across all regions and age groups, bringing this epic to life in a way that’s never been seen before," Arjun Aggarwal, the co-founder of Geek Pictures India, said in a statement.

Veteran screenwriter V Vijayendra Prasad, known for blockbusters such as the "Baahubali" franchise and "RRR", has contributed his creative vision to this adaptation, according to a press release.

The film was first released in India at the 24th International Film Festival of India (IFFI). In the Hindi version, "Ramayan" star Arun Govil voiced the character of Ram, Namrata Sawhney voice starred as Sita, and the late Amrish Puri lent his voice to Ravan, with veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha serving as narrator.

Composed by Vanraj Bhatia and penned by PK Mishra, "Shri Raghuvar Ki Vaanar Sena", "Janani Main Ramdoot Hanuman" and "Jai Lankeshwar" were some of the popular songs from the film's Hindi dubbed version.