With the release of: Nitesh Tiwari‘s’Ramayana:: Part 1′ approaching this Diwali, its makers have locked a major distribution deal for the Indian market. Co-producers Namit Malhotra DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations have collaborated with: Karan JoharIt’s Dharma Productions, which will distribute the mythological epic across India. The ambitious two-part saga has reportedly been mounted on a staggering budget of Rs 4,000 crore.Karan Johar’s production house has steadily built a strong track record of handling large-scale pan-India releases, as seen in the case of ‘Baahubali’. The banner also received a significant financial boost after Adar Poonawalla’s Serum Institute of India acquired a 50 percent stake in the company for Rs 1,000 crore. As per a latest report in Variety India, Namit Malhotra screened the 30-minute edited cut of ‘Ramayana’ for potential distributors before the deal was finalised. Negotiations with Dharma Productions reportedly began with a distribution price of around Rs 500 crore before both sides agreed on a final figure of Rs 250 crore, giving Dharma the sole distribution rights in India.Called “the most anticipated Indian film of this year” by IMDb, ‘Ramayana: Part 1’ features an ensemble cast led by: Ranbir Kapoor said Rama Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. The film also stars Sunny Deol as Hanuman, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman, Arun Govil as Dasharatha, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Kajal Aggarwal as Mandodari, Vivek Oberoi as Vidyutjiva, Rakul Preet Singh as Surapanakha, Sheeba Chaddha as Manthara, Indira Krishnan as Kausalaya and Kunal Kapoor: as Indra, etc.The film’s music was composed by Oscar winners AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer, collaborating for the first time on an Indian project. While filming for ‘Ramayana. Part 1’ has been wrapped and the movie is now in post-production, work on the second installment has entered the pre-production stage.Last month, exhibitor and trade analyst Vishek Chauhan predicted that the two-parter ‘Ramayana’ would be the only Indian franchise to surpass the Rs 3,300 crore-plus worldwide box office record set earlier this year by Aditya Dhar’s Ranveer Singh-starrer spy franchise ‘Dhurandhar’.