NDTV reports that online viewers are praising a Ramayana post-credit scene in which Sunny Deol appears as Hanuman, with some saying it drew louder cheers than Ranbir and Yash. The character’s devoted following helps explain the excitement.
What is being reported about the scene?
NDTV reports on how internet users responded to a post-credit scene in Ramayana, the film adaptation, in which Sunny Deol makes an entry as Hanuman. According to the publication’s account, some viewers said the moment received louder cheers than Ranbir and Yash, the two other names in its headline. This is a report about audience reaction rather than a formal measure of anything: the claim comes from people posting online, and no noise reading or attendance figure accompanies it in the material available here. The wider interest lies less in one scene than in what it shows about the character, about how such films are structured and about how cinema audiences respond together.
What is the Ramayana?
The Ramayana is one of the two great Sanskrit epics of ancient India, alongside the Mahabharata, and is traditionally attributed to the sage Valmiki. It tells the story of Rama, a prince of Ayodhya, who is sent into forest exile with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana. Sita is abducted by Ravana, the king of Lanka, and Rama sets out to rescue her with the help of an army of vanaras, forest-dwelling beings often depicted as monkey-like. The story has been retold in many languages and across South and South-East Asia, in poetry, dance, puppetry, television and film. For many Hindus it is also a sacred text, so it is both literature and scripture.
Who is Hanuman in the story?
Hanuman is a vanara and one of the most prominent figures in the epic. He is often described as the son of the wind god, Vayu, and is credited with immense strength and the ability to change his size. He becomes Rama’s devoted ally during the search for Sita. In the best-known episodes he leaps across the ocean to Lanka, finds Sita in captivity and sets parts of the city ablaze with his burning tail. Later, when Lakshmana is gravely wounded in battle, Hanuman flies to fetch a healing herb and, unable to identify it, carries back a whole mountain. Those episodes make him both a warrior and a model of loyalty.
Why does Hanuman have such a devoted following?
Hanuman is worshipped in his own right as well as appearing in the story. Temples dedicated to him are found across India, and many devotees recite the Hanuman Chalisa, a devotional hymn traditionally attributed to the poet Tulsidas. He is associated with courage, discipline, protection and selfless service, which gives him a broad appeal that reaches from daily prayer to popular imagery. For screen adaptations, this creates an unusual situation: he is a supporting character in plot terms but may hold as much emotional weight as the hero for part of the audience. Any casting of the role therefore attracts close attention, and his first appearance carries high expectations.
What is a post-credit scene?
A post-credit scene is a short sequence placed after some or all of a film’s closing credits. It is separate from the main ending and usually does one of a few things: offers a joke, resolves a small thread or points towards a future instalment. Superhero franchises did much to make the device familiar to global audiences, and viewers now often stay in their seats expecting one. Because these scenes are brief, they tend to rely on recognition rather than plot: a face, a costume or a musical cue is enough. NDTV’s account places this Hanuman entry in such a scene, although the material available here does not describe how long it runs or what happens in it.
Why might a film hold back a major character until the end?
Filmmakers have several practical reasons for using the slot in this way. A late reveal gives audiences something to anticipate and discuss after leaving the cinema, which can extend interest through word of mouth and social media. It can also signal what comes next, especially in a story large enough to be told across more than one film. The Ramayana suits this approach, since Hanuman enters the narrative only after Sita’s abduction, when Rama is searching for her. A film covering the earlier stretch of the story could therefore end just as he is about to become important. Whether that was the reasoning here has not been established in the source material, so this remains a general explanation of the technique.
Why do audiences cheer a character’s entry in Indian cinemas?
Applause, whistles and shouting at a star’s first appearance have a long history in Indian popular cinema, particularly at early shows attended by committed fans. The practice is often linked to the idea of a hero’s entry, and films are frequently staged to invite it, with slow reveals, swelling music and a held shot. Going to the cinema in this setting can feel like a shared event rather than a private viewing. A mythological subject may add another layer, because some viewers respond to the character with devotion as well as enthusiasm. A scene combining a well-known actor with a revered figure brings those two habits of response together, which is why such a moment can become the thing people discuss afterwards.
How much weight should online reactions carry?
Social media posts are useful evidence of what some viewers felt, but they are not a representative sample. People who post about a film immediately are often among its keenest followers, and striking claims spread further than moderate ones. An account of a loud cinema also depends on where and when the viewer saw the film, since an opening-day crowd in one city may behave very differently from a weekday audience in another. News articles built on such posts record a conversation, not an audit. The comparison reported by NDTV is best read in that light: as an indication that the entry excited a number of people, and not as a verified ranking of performers or their popularity.
Why do fans compare the reactions to different actors?
Comparison is a familiar part of fan culture everywhere. Supporters of particular stars often treat audience response, box office and social media activity as ways of keeping score, and clips of noisy screenings circulate as a form of proof. A big ensemble film invites this more than most, because it gathers performers with separate fan bases in one production. It also helps that cheers are easy to describe and hard to check. None of this necessarily says anything about the quality of a performance, since a short surprise appearance and a lead role do very different jobs. A brief reveal has the advantage of novelty, whereas a lead has to sustain interest across a film’s whole running time.
How has Hanuman been shown on screen before?
Hanuman has long been a fixture of Indian screen storytelling, appearing in mythological films, televised versions of the epic and animated features aimed at younger viewers. Television adaptations helped make the story a shared viewing experience for families, and performers in the role could become closely identified with it for years afterwards. Portrayals have varied with the available technology: older productions relied on costume and make-up, while newer ones may also use digital effects. Each new version is judged against those memories and against the devotional images people already know from temples, calendars and comics. That familiarity is an advantage for a brief reveal, since audiences can recognise the character immediately without any introduction.
What is still not known?
The material available here is limited to NDTV’s report of the online response, and several details cannot be confirmed from it. It is not known how many people reacted, which screenings they attended or how widely the sentiment is shared. The content of the scene itself, beyond the fact of the entry, is not described. Nor does the material say how the character will feature in any later instalment, how large the role will be or what the filmmakers intended. Readers wanting those specifics should look to the film’s official announcements and to reviews by critics who have seen it. For now, the firmest conclusion is a modest one: the appearance has prompted enthusiastic comment online.
Sources and further reading
- NDTV: entertainment report on online reactions to the post-credit scene
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: general reference on the Ramayana and the figure of Hanuman
- Published English translations of Valmiki’s Ramayana: the narrative episodes involving Hanuman
- Academic writing on Indian popular cinema: audience behaviour and the staging of star entries
Surfaced from the google:GB signal “film character reveal reaction”. AI-assisted draft, editorially reviewed.
