Last updated: September 16, 2026
Quick answer: The festive stretch opens on October 2 with a genuine box office clash, Drishyam: The Conclusion against Valmiki Ramayana, followed by Udta Teer, Jailer 2, Raftaar and Prahaar through the rest of October. The season’s biggest title is Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Part One, confirmed for a staggered release: international audiences see it November 6, India gets it two days later on November 8, timed to Diwali itself. Several of these dates have already moved once, so treat this as a snapshot rather than a fixed calendar.
The quick list
| Film | Date | Status |
| Drishyam: The Conclusion | October 2 | Confirmed by official trailer |
| Valmiki Ramayana | October 2 | Scheduled |
| Udta Teer | October 9 | Scheduled, moved once already |
| Jailer 2 | October 15 | Confirmed by studio, delay rumours denied |
| Raftaar | October 16 | Scheduled |
| Prahaar: The Ujjwal Nikam Story | October 16 | Confirmed, moved twice from earlier dates |
| Ramayana: Part One | Nov 6 international, Nov 8 India | Confirmed by producer |
| Lakadbaggha 2: The Monkey Business | Diwali window | Announced, no fixed date yet |
October 2: a genuine same-day clash
Two very different films are currently set for the same day. Drishyam: The Conclusion brings Ajay Devgn back as Vijay Salgaonkar for what’s billed as the final chapter of the franchise, with Tabu and Shriya Saran returning and Jaideep Ahlawat joining as a new adversary, directed by Abhishek Pathak. Its release date isn’t just a trade listing at this point, the official trailer itself confirms October 2.
Also scheduled for October 2 is Valmiki Ramayana, a separate Hindi retelling of the epic directed by Bhavna Talwar, putting two very different big-budget films head to head on the same day.
Early-to-mid October: three more titles
Udta Teer, a spy comedy pairing Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan, is currently set for October 9, though it’s worth knowing this date has already shifted once from an earlier announcement, which is typical of how fluid this season’s calendar has been.
October 15 belongs to Jailer 2, Rajinikanth’s return as Tiger Muthuvel Pandian in the sequel to the 2023 hit. Sun Pictures reaffirmed this date directly after rumours of a delay, making it one of the more solidly confirmed dates on this list, even though it’s a Tamil-language release rather than a Bollywood one. It’s included here because it’s squarely part of the same festive theatrical competition.
October 16 is currently a two-film date: Raftaar, starring Rajkummar Rao and Keerthy Suresh, and Prahaar: The Ujjwal Nikam Story, also led by Rajkummar Rao, this time as public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, alongside Wamiqa Gabbi and Jaideep Ahlawat. Prahaar in particular has moved dates more than once, an earlier August slot and a considered September date were both dropped before October 16 was locked in, largely to avoid clashing with other major releases crowding those earlier windows.
The Diwali weekend: two Ramayana films, five weeks apart
The season’s biggest title is Ramayana: Part One, Nitesh Tiwari’s mythological epic starring Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana. Its release plan is genuinely unusual: producer Namit Malhotra has confirmed the film opens internationally on November 6, following the Friday-release convention most overseas markets use, before arriving in India two days later on November 8, timed specifically to Diwali. That gap isn’t a scheduling mismatch, it’s a deliberate choice Malhotra addressed directly after the film’s English-language trailer listed the earlier international date and caused some confusion.
Between this and the earlier Valmiki Ramayana release, the season carries two separate adaptations of the same epic within about five weeks of each other, an unusually crowded overlap even for a season that leans hard on mythological material most years.
Lakadbaggha 2: The Monkey Business is also aiming for the Diwali window, though the makers haven’t locked a specific date, so it’s worth treating as a looser target than the titles above.
Yash’s casting as Ravana here follows a run of scrutiny for the actor: his film Toxic recently faced its own backlash over its portrayal of women, worth keeping in mind alongside his high-profile turn in this season’s biggest mythological release.
Why this season is so crowded
Studios now lock in festival release dates one to two years ahead of a film’s actual release, which is part of why so many big titles keep landing within days of each other, the slots themselves were claimed long before any of these films were finished. It also explains why dates keep shifting even this close to release: when one film moves to avoid a clash, it often lands on top of another film’s date instead, which is exactly what happened with Prahaar’s two prior postponements.
A note on how fluid this still is
Every date above reflects the most recent confirmed or reported information as of this update. Several titles here have already moved once or twice. If you’re planning specifically around one of these releases, it’s worth checking closer to the date rather than treating anything more than a few weeks out as fixed, particularly for Udta Teer and Lakadbaggha 2.
Common questions
What Bollywood movies are releasing around Diwali 2026? The main titles currently scheduled across this festive stretch are Drishyam: The Conclusion, Valmiki Ramayana, Udta Teer, Raftaar, Prahaar: The Ujjwal Nikam Story, and Ramayana: Part One, alongside the Tamil release Jailer 2, which shares the same competitive window.
When is Ramayana: Part One releasing in India? It’s confirmed for November 8, 2026, coinciding with Diwali. International markets get it two days earlier, on November 6, following standard overseas Friday release scheduling.
Are there really two Ramayana films releasing this season? Yes. Valmiki Ramayana, directed by Bhavna Talwar, is scheduled for October 2. Ramayana: Part One, directed by Nitesh Tiwari and starring Ranbir Kapoor, arrives around Diwali. They’re entirely separate productions.
Is Jailer 2 a Bollywood film? No, it’s a Tamil-language production. It’s included here because its October 15 date puts it in direct competition with the same festive theatrical window as the Hindi releases on this list.
When is Diwali in 2026? Diwali, or Lakshmi Puja, falls on Sunday, November 8, 2026.