Namit Malhotra, the producer behind Ramayana, whose family’s net worth is estimated at Rs 16,000 crore, according to the Hurun India Rich List 2026, has revealed that he lost 90% of his wealth in 2008. Now 50, Namit moved to the US in 2007 with the ambition of building a global company that would bridge the gap between the East and the West. However, his plans suffered a major setback just a year later, when the global financial crisis and the onset of the recession put immense economic pressure on businesses and immigrants in the US.Nearly two decades later, Namit is preparing to bring his ambitious two-part adaptation of the Indian epic Ramayana to audiences worldwide. The filmmaker recently hosted a special presentation of the film at the Academy Theater in Los Angeles ahead of its scheduled release on November 5. During the event, he described the occasion as his personal Oscar moment, reflecting on a dream he had nurtured since he was a 19-year-old working out of a garage.Addressing the audience, Namit said, “I wanted to host this evening at the Academy Theater because this is my Oscar moment. I am going to take a moment to speak without the bell ringing me out. My company DNEG and my team have won eight Academy Awards in total. Seven in the last eleven years for visual effects, collaborating with the greatest filmmakers of our time like Christopher Nolan, Denny Villeneuve and many others.”He added, “For a third-generation film family background, and a garage startup kid at 19 with an Apple computer working with three of his teachers who were all of 21. This is what dreams are made of and what better place to share this moment than the city of dreams — Los Angeles.”Namit Malhotra recalls losing 90% of his wealth in 2008Reflecting on the financial setback that threatened his ambitions, Namit recalled moving to Los Angeles in pursuit of building an international company that could bring Indian and Western filmmaking talent together.ALSO READ | Mira Rajput lists Shahid Kapoor’s faults, he says, ‘Kapil Sharma called us to be a happy family’“In my pursuit of building a global company and connecting the East and the West, I set foot in LA in 2007 and haven’t looked back since. An immigrant, who lost 90% of his wealth with the fun times in 2008, as I am sure some of you may remember, to bounce back today and being able to bring the biggest independent production in the world… I can’t even tell you what it feels like to stand here today and say this. We have been able to bring together some of the absolute best talent from India, as you all have seen, and have collaborated with some of the finest Western talent,” he said.Story continues below this adNamit also thanked his parents, Nita and Naresh Malhotra, and his wife for believing in his vision and supporting him throughout his journey. He credited his filmmaker father with encouraging him to begin his career in production.“I got into post-production and visual effects to get to make movies at some point, and that is what I am doing today,” he said.From a Mumbai garage to eight Academy AwardsNamit’s journey in the entertainment industry began with a modest video-editing and computer-graphics venture in a Mumbai garage. Equipped with an Apple computer, he recruited three of his former professors to help him build the business.In 1997, he merged the venture with his father’s equipment-rental company to establish Prime Focus Limited. A decade later, he moved to Los Angeles to strengthen the connection between Bollywood and Hollywood.Story continues below this adIn 2014, Prime Focus merged with London-based visual-effects studio Double Negative, which was subsequently rebranded as DNEG. The company has since won eight Academy Awards for its work in visual effects, collaborating with some of the world’s leading filmmakers.Namit’s career has since expanded from post-production and visual effects into large-scale film production, culminating in his ambitious adaptation of the Ramayana.All about Namit Malhotra’s RamayanaDirected by Nitesh Tiwari and co-produced by Yash, Ramayana is planned as a two-part cinematic adaptation of the Indian epic, with a reported combined budget of Rs 4,000 crore.The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Ravi Dubey in lead roles. The ensemble cast also includes Rakul Preet Singh, Vivek Oberoi, Lara Dutta and Arun Govil in important roles.Story continues below this adThe magnum opus film is all set to hit the theaters worldwide on November 5 in multiple languages.