Ram and Leela

Ram and Leela
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRamachandrran Kannan
Written by
  • Ramachandrran Kannan
  • Aakash Poojith
Produced by
  • R. Ravindran
  • Sudharsan
Starring
CinematographyMallikarjun
Edited byYNC Shiva
Music byAnkit Menon
Production
companies
Distributed bySri Kumaran Films
Release date
  • 21 August 2026 (2026-08-21)
Running time
142 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Ram and Leela is a 2026 Indian Tamil-language science fiction romantic comedy film written and directed by Ramachandrran Kannan, who co-wrote the script with Aakash Poojith and produced by Trident Arts and EYWA Entertainments. The film stars Rio Raj and Varthika. It revolves around Ram who falls in love with Leela but soon uncovers an unusual secret about her.

The film, originally titled Ram In Leela, was announced in December 2025, with filming beginning the same month and ending in March 2026. It was retitled just three days before its release on 21 August 2026.

Plot

Raghuram "Ram" is a 30-year-old middle-class man desperate to get married after facing 50 consecutive matrimonial rejections. His fortunes change when he falls for Leela during a local train journey.

Leela accepts his proposal, but she introduces a strict, non-negotiable condition: he can never see her after 6:00 PM. Ram's relentless attempts to sneak a peek at Leela after dark spark a series of wild misunderstandings involving his traditional family and close friends.

The core mystery unfolds as Ram discovers the truth: Leela's family possesses a mysterious lineage tied to an ancient alien race (the Anunnaki), which triggers a supernatural biological transformation whenever the sun sets, forcing Ram to decide what their relationship truly means.

Cast

Production

The film was announced on 1 December 2025 under the title Ram In Leela, and filming began the same day.[2] It is the directorial debut of Ramachandrran Kannan, the first film for Varthika as lead actress, and the debut of cinematographer Mallikarjun and editor YNC Shiva.[3] The first filming schedule was completed by the end of the month,[4] and the second schedule began in January 2026.[5] Filming wrapped in late March.[6]

Soundtrack

The music was composed by Ankit Menon. It is his Tamil debut as he earlier composed for Malayalam films.[3] The soundtrack was released as a six-song jukebox by Think Music on 22 August 2026.[7]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Yaar Yaarival"Mohan Rajan (Tamil), Sushant Sudhakaran (Hindi)Sid Sriram, Sawai Bhatt 
2."Manjal Aavaro"Semv.iiiArmaan Malik, Ankit Menon, Semv.iii 
3."Seppu Sela"Uma DeviV. M. Mahalingam 
4."Gabru Gujili"ThamizhMathichiyam Bala 
5."Ayali"Adesh KrishnaAnkit Menon 
6."Yaar Yaarivan"Mohan RajaniSai 

Release

Theatrical

Just three days before its release on 21 August 2026, Ram In Leela was retitled Ram and Leela.[8] The change was announced after the film was cleared by the censor board. Journalists believed the title was altered because the original title could carry a double-meaning interpretation. The last-minute change attracted attention ahead of the film's release, although the makers did not publicly elaborate on the reason for the alteration.[9]

Home media

The post-theatrical digital streaming rights were acquired by Amazon Prime Video.[10]

Reception

Abhinav Subramanian of The Times of India rated the film 2.5 out of 5, comparing its "gender flip" theme to that of another Tamil film Double Occupancy released earlier the same year, saying "it wasn't a particularly fresh idea even then. Here it is never more than a set-up for the next meltdown".[11] Avinash Ramachandran of Cinema Express wrote that the film had an "interesting idea" and "almost all the required ingredients", but it "neither has its heart in the right place, nor does this experiment yield promising results".[12] Maalai Malar reviewed the film more positively with a 3/5 rating, praising the cast performances, cinematography and screenplay with minimal flaws.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Ram and Leela". Central Board of Film Certification. Archived from the original on 24 August 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "Rio's next titled Ram In Leela". DT Next. 1 December 2025. Archived from the original on 8 December 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 Hussain, M A Fahad (3 December 2025). "I think I might play characters looking for a bride for 5–6 yrs: Rio Raj". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 23 August 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "Rio Raj's Ram in Leela completes first schedule of filming". Cinema Express. 31 December 2025. Archived from the original on 25 January 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "Rio's Ram in Leela begins second schedule of filming". Cinema Express. 8 January 2026. Archived from the original on 22 January 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Rio's Ram in Leela wraps filming". Cinema Express. 28 March 2026. Archived from the original on 11 May 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Think Music India (22 August 2026). Ram and Leela – Jukebox | Rio Raj | Vartika | Ankit Menon | Ramachandrran Kannan. Archived from the original on 24 August 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026 – via YouTube.
  8. ↑ "Rio Raj's Ram in Leela gets title change along with censor certificate". Cinema Express. 19 August 2026. Archived from the original on 22 August 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Rio Raj's 'Ram In Leela' is now 'Ram And Leela', film censored U/A, gets a last-minute title change ahead of August 21 release". The Times of India. 20 August 2026. Archived from the original on 24 August 2026. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "ரியோவின் ராம் அண்ட் லீலா ஓடிடி உரிமையைப் பெற்ற பிரபல நிறுவனம்!" [A prominent company has acquired the OTT rights for Rio's Ram and Leela!]. Dinamani (in Tamil). 1 August 2026. Archived from the original on 2 August 2026. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  11. ↑ Subramanian, Abhinav (20 August 2026). "Ram And Leela Movie Review: A few late laughs in an overdone comedy". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 22 August 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  12. ↑ Ramachandran, Avinash (22 August 2026). "Ram and Leela Movie Review: A high-concept idea with disastrously low returns". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 22 August 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "ராம் அண்ட் லீலா- திரை விமர்சனம்" [Ram and Leela- Movie Review]. Maalai Malar (in Tamil). 22 August 2026. Archived from the original on 24 August 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
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