Chennai: Ravana’s ten heads are one of the most widely recognised symbols in the Ramayana. In Nitesh Tiwari’s retelling of the epic, Kannada star Yash brings this idea to life in a fantastical way in one of the magnum opus’s most whistle-worthy scenes, according to an early review.
(Alert: This piece contains mild spoilers about Ramayana after its first screening.)
A Character Given Care
The first impression after watching the three-hour-plus film — which also stars Ranbir Kapoor as Rama and Sai Pallavi as Sita — is that particular care has gone into shaping Ravana’s character. It’s an understandable decision, given how the famous king of Lanka is one of the most interesting figures in the Ramayana. And Yash gives it all to the role, making Ramayana: Part 1 a rousing experience whenever he is on screen.
When the two-part movie was announced, there was a huge debate about the casting. Fans doubted whether Yash, Ranbir and Sai Pallavi could do justice to the legendary characters. After confirming his role, Yash displayed an infectious enthusiasm for playing the part.
“For me, Ravan is the most exciting character in the epic story,” he said. “If you ask me if I would do any other character apart from him in the film, I would say no. I really liked the shades and nuances of that particular character. There was scope to present it differently.”
In His Element
Part of his excitement comes from the kind of roles he has excelled in Kannada cinema. Yash thrives in the anti-hero zone — be it the KGF films, Toxic, Mr and Mrs Ramachari or Masterpiece. That’s why, when it comes to playing Ravana, it feels as if Yash had been manifesting the very possibility.
In a scene from Masterpiece, Yash’s character tells his mother, who is dressing a child as Krishna for a fancy dress competition, that “it’s better to dress up like Ravana or Hiranyakashipu and hold a gadha instead of getting dressed like Krishna with a flute in hand.”
Understanding the Role
The actor’s solid preparation has helped him master Ravana’s body language while exhibiting the demon king’s popular traits. In a pre-release interview with the YouTube channel Review Nation, Yash spoke about his character study: “He has everything, yet he loses it all because of the actions he takes. He becomes the person he was always fighting against. He is a man driven by vengeance and loses control in the process.”
Yash is learnt to have played Shiva mantras on set to energise and motivate himself.
“I come from Karnataka, and movie-making there is a joyful mix of chaos and fun. However, during the shoot of Ramayana, everything was sorted on set, and people were very quiet. I was feeling a bit lost. So, I decided to change the atmosphere and began playing Shiva songs. It was a great zone to be in, and I enjoyed the process,” he told Review Nation.
Not Glorifying Ravana
The movie also carefully stops short of glorifying Ravana’s character. “You can root for me in the movie, but don’t take the character home,” the actor said in an interview with the Today Stars YouTube channel.
The Performance
Yash’s performance, apart from a few minor inconsistencies in dialogue delivery, is worth all the praise it’s getting from initial screenings. The film, produced by Namit Malhotra, seems poised to take his appeal to a national audience, rekindling the trust the pan-Indian audience had in him after the KGF movies. Even in Toxic, which turned out to be a misfire, Yash stood out with a performance playing a complex, ageing character battling guilt and questionable choices.
In his journey to stardom, Yash’s never-say-die personality has helped him reach new heights. Now, with his performance making the right noise, nothing should stop the actor from achieving bigger dreams.
