India, Nov. 12 -- Owing to its status as the biggest Indian film ever, Ramayana was released internationally on more screens than any other Indian film. Sony Pictures acquired the global distribution rights for the Nitesh Tiwari film, giving it 50,000 screens outside India, a good 10-15 times what an Indian film normally gets. The makers also cut a shorter version of the film for international release, christening it Ramayana: Rise of a Legend. The version, dubbed in English, is about 30 minutes shorter, cut that way to appeal to Western audiences. However, initial reactions from the West show that audiences there are lapping up the longer Hindi version.

Ramayana is 3 hours and 18 minutes long. The international version, Rise of a Legend...