Ravana Reimagined: Yash and the Making of a Villain
Every Diwali, India burns Ravana in effigy. This Diwali, it may queue up to cheer him. Jubliz explores how the KGF superstar built a demon king of devotion, intellect and menace.
In most retellings, Ravana is the shadow that makes Rama shine. In Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, he may be the reason a great many people buy a ticket. Since the first trailer, Yash's Ravana has been the single most discussed element of the film. At the Los Angeles world premiere, fans chanted the name of the king of Lanka as he walked the red carpet, a sound rarely heard for a villain anywhere in the world.
To appreciate why this performance matters so much, we need to remember who Ravana has been on screen, and who he has always been in tradition.
Then: the many faces of the king of Lanka
Ravana is one of the most complex antagonists in world literature. In the Valmiki Ramayana, he is the ten headed king of a golden city, a formidable warrior, a gifted scholar and a devotee of Shiva so intense that tradition credits him with composing the Shiva Tandava Stotra, the hymn that celebrates Shiva's cosmic dance. He is also the abductor of Sita, whose pride and desire bring ruin to his entire dynasty. In parts of India and Sri Lanka, he is even remembered with respect as a learned king.
The screen has struggled to hold all of that at once. For a generation of television viewers, Arvind Trivedi's thunderous Ravana in Ramanand Sagar's 1987 Ramayan was definitive: regal, booming and unforgettable. Mani Ratnam's Raavanan (2010) reimagined the figure through Vikram as a sympathetic rebel. Most recently, Saif Ali Khan's Ravana in Adipurush (2023) became one of that film's most criticised elements, with many viewers feeling its look and tone strayed far from tradition.
That is the tightrope Yash walks: to be frightening without being a cartoon, grand without being hollow, and modern without betraying the scriptures.
The star who became a phenomenon
Yash is no stranger to playing larger than life men. As Rocky in KGF: Chapter 1 (2018) and Chapter 2 (2022), he became a symbol of swagger, slow motion entries and devoted fan worship, with KGF 2 crossing around ₹1,200 crore worldwide. Yet Ravana asks for something different: stillness, intelligence and spiritual weight alongside the menace.
Speaking to Collider at CinemaCon 2026, Yash said he does not look at anything in black and white. He described Ravana as a man who crossed a line, which is precisely what makes him fascinating. He also acknowledged the unique pressure of the role: when audiences already hold a fixed picture of how a character should look, speak and behave, every choice is measured against memory.
Becoming Ravana
Yash has shared a vivid picture of how he found the character on set. He told Review Nation that his transformation began with the elaborate costume and the grand crown, which he used to step into Ravana's skin. He would then change the atmosphere of the entire set, bringing in large speakers and playing Shiva devotional music at full volume so he could connect with the king's devotion before each take.
His first scheduled days were the war sequences. He began filming on 21 February 2025 after two days of costume trials, with major battle scenes shot at Aksa Beach in Mumbai. Reports said the action was designed to show Ravana as a master strategist rather than mere brute force, a significant shift from the snarling villains of many mythological films.
Now: Rise of Asura, the Dussehra masterstroke
The campaign's most daring piece of marketing belonged to Yash. On Dussehra, the festival that celebrates Rama's victory over Ravana, the makers released Rise of Asura, a nearly two minute musical sequence built around the Shiv Tandav Stotram. It shows Ravana in full regalia performing an intense Tandav, foregrounding devotion, ambition and power rather than villainy alone.
Releasing a celebration of Ravana on the very day his effigies burn across India was a bold, almost provocative choice. The sequence coincided with the opening of advance bookings and gave the film a fresh surge of attention on social media. Online reactions were mixed, but many viewers singled out Yash's commanding presence.
The premiere verdict
Premiere audiences have been especially generous to Yash. The film account Rama's Screen described his Ravana as magnetic. Sacnilk's roundup highlighted his commanding portrayal, and even reviewers with reservations about the music and storytelling praised his performance. Siasat reported one early verdict that called him phenomenal. For one evening in Los Angeles, the antagonist became the hero of the night.
Ranbir Kapoor has added his own tribute. At San Diego Comic-Con in July, he praised the swag, aura and honesty Yash brought to Ravana.
What is riding on it
No one in the cast has more at stake. Yash co-produces through Monster Mind Creations and reportedly took a producer's share instead of a standard fee. He also arrives after Toxic, his August 2026 release, which underperformed against its reported budget. A triumphant Ravana would restore his box office standing, strengthen Ramayana's grip on southern audiences, and confirm that he is not merely a regional sensation but a truly national star.
Next: the war in Part Two
Part One shows Ravana's rise and his fateful abduction of Sita. Part Two will show his fall. The great war, the fall of his brothers and sons, and the final duel with Rama all belong to the concluding chapter. If Part One ends on the cliffhanger premiere viewers are describing, Ravana's presence will drive anticipation for the sequel as much as Rama's.
Jubliz takeaway: Ramayana may become the rare Indian epic where the antagonist defines the conversation. That is no criticism of the film. It is a reminder that a great Rama needs a great Ravana, and that Valmiki understood this long before Hollywood did.
