It is the release of Nitesh Tiwari‘is’Ramayana: Part 1′ is approaching this Diwali, its makers have closed a major distribution channel in the Indian market. Co-producers Namit Malhotra’s DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations collaborated with Karan Johar‘s Dharma Productions, which will distribute the mythological epic in India. The two-part saga is said to be set on a whopping budget of Rs 4,000 crore.Karan Johar’s production house has been building a strong reputation for working on big pan-Indian projects, which they saw in the case of ‘Baahubali’. The banner also got a big boost after Serum Institute of India’s Adar Poonawalla acquired a 50% stake in the company for Rs 1,000 crore. According to a recent report by Variety India, Namit Malhotra screened the 30-minute ‘Ramayana’ adaptation for potential distributors before finalizing the deal. Negotiations with Dharma Productions reportedly began with a distribution price of around Rs 500 crore before both sides agreed on a final price of Rs 250 crore, giving Dharma distribution rights in India.Dubbed “the most anticipated Indian film of this year” by IMDb, ‘Ramayana: Part 1’ has a team led by Ranbir Kapoor like 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 Krishna and Indira Krishna It was Kapoor such as Indra, among others.The film’s music is being composed by Oscar winners AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer, who are working with them for the first time in India. While the shooting of ‘Ramayana: Part 1’ has already been wrapped up and the film is being remastered, the work on the second part has entered the planning stage.Last month, showrunner and business expert Vishek Chauhan had predicted that the two-parter ‘Ramayana’ could be the only Indian franchise to surpass the Rs 3,300 crore-plus worldwide record set earlier this year by Aditya Dhar’s Ranveer Singh-starrer spy thriller ‘Dhurandhar’.