Yash has thrown the spotlight squarely on Ramayana with a striking defence of Ravana, insisting the character cannot be reduced to a one-note screen villain. As conversation around the film’s interpretation gathers pace, the actor has framed Ravana not as a straightforward evil force, but as one of the epic’s most intellectually layered figures.
He said, “We need to understand that he’s not a straightforward villain. Rama is like the heart. Ravana is like the brain. And there is always a conflict between your mind and your heart.” That line has quickly emerged as one of the film’s most discussed talking points, especially because it signals a more layered reading of Ravana than audiences usually see in mainstream retellings.
Why Yash Took On Ravana
Yash also spoke candidly about the hesitation around his decision to play Ravana in a film mounted on such a massive scale. He said, “None of my friends or family, everybody was like, “Why do you want to play Ravana?” As a producer, I wanted to make Ramayana because it’s our story, but as an actor, I wanted to play Ravana. The only challenge was that people thought, “Okay, you are loved by people, and if you’re doing a character who is so hated, people won’t be able to celebrate you or appreciate you.””
For Yash, that concern was never enough to dilute the part’s dramatic power. He added, “I said, ‘Yeah, but that’s how the story should be. I know stardom and all these things are fine, but at the end of the day, none of us are bigger than Ramayana.’”
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That clarity appears to define his approach to the role. Rather than chasing approval for a familiar heroic image, Yash seems to be embracing the tension that comes with playing one of Indian mythology’s most debated figures.
What The Film Team Has Said
Producer Namit Malhotra summed up the challenge of the casting when he said, “You being Ravana, who is technically one of the most disliked characters in the country. So you’ve got Ravana, one of the most disliked figures, and then you have Yash, someone people are obsessed with as a superstar.”
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Ranbir Kapoor also strongly backed the choice, saying, “Just the choice to play Ravana and represent him again in his truest form is not easy. You needed somebody larger than life, somebody with that aura and star power that Yash comes with.” He further said, “The way he has played it is such a new representation, such a complex understanding of that character.”
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana: Part One stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. The film is the first chapter of a two-part epic, with Part One released worldwide in cinemas on November 5, 2026.
Yash’s Recent And Upcoming Work
Yash’s last theatrical release before Ramayana was K.G.F: Chapter 2 in 2022, a blockbuster that further cemented his pan-India stardom. His next major film beyond Ramayana is Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, directed by Geetu Mohandas, which has kept industry attention firmly on his evolving post-K.G.F choices.
At this stage of his career, Yash appears to be leaning into ambitious, image-shifting projects rather than safe repetitions of his established screen persona. That makes his Ravana turn feel less like a surprise casting move and more like a deliberate reinvention.
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