Before Part 1 of Nitesh Tiwari’s much-awaited adaptation of the Indian epic Ramayana arrives in cinemas this Diwali, another retelling of Rama’s story is headed to the big screen. Abhishek Singh’s Mahakavya Shri Ramayana Katha will release in Hindi and Chhattisgarhi on September 25, more than a month ahead of Tiwari’s film on November 6. The makers of Mahakavya Shri Ramayana Katha released the trailer of the film which will cover Rama’s journey in one consolidated part.

What’s in the Mahakavya Shri Ramayana Katha trailer?

Unlike the trailer of Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana, which begins with Ravana’s backstory, the Mahakavya Shri Ramayana Katha trailer does not open with the antagonist’s story. Instead, it dives straight into the central conflict, as Ravana, besotted with Sita, abducts her from the forest, takes her away in the Pushpak Viman, and holds her captive in his kingdom of Lanka.

Rama, who is busy chasing a golden deer, soon realises it is an illusion and rushes back, only to discover that Sita has been abducted. He then sets out to rescue her from Lanka, finding support from allies such as Hanuman along the way. The trailer also shows Hanuman meeting Sita in Lanka and offering to take her back with him. She refuses, insisting that she will remain there until Rama comes to Lanka, destroys the kingdom, kills Ravana and rescues her.

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There’s no trace of Hanuman, played by Sunny Deol, in the trailer of Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana, with Part 1 rumoured to end with the character’s entry as Rama (Ranbir Kapoor) vows to bring Sita (Sai Pallavi) back from Lanka. The trailer of Mahakavya Shri Ramayana Katha, meanwhile, features several other key episodes from the epic, including Rama and the Vanar Sena building a stone bridge to Lanka, Hanuman setting Lanka ablaze, and his journey to the Himalayas to retrieve the sanjeevani booti.

While Mahakavya Shri Ramayana Katha will arrive in cinemas before Nitesh Tiwari’s adaptation, the two films differ significantly in terms of star power, VFX and scale. The budget of Mahakavya Shri Ramayana Katha has not been disclosed, but it is mounted as a comparatively smaller regional production. Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana, on the other hand, is being made on a massive scale, with the two-part project reportedly carrying a budget of Rs 4,000 crore.

Additionally, Tiwari’s Ramayana is co-produced by Prime Focus Studios, which is a multiple Academy Award-winning VFX studio, which has provided special effects for several tentpole Hollywood films over the years. Also, the movie is being mounted on a global scale, with Sony Pictures handling the global distribution.

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On the other hand, Abhishek Singh’s Mahakavya Shri Ramayana Katha is largely focused on the Indian market, and primarily its home turf of Chhattisgarh. Rama, Sita, and Ravana are essayed by Dev Sharma, Anjali Arora, and Rajniesh Duggall, respectively. It’ll clash with Deepak Kumar Mishra and Arunabh Kumar’s fantasy epic The Vvan: Force of the Forrest, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah, at the box office.