Ramayana: Rise of a Legend takes the timeless epic of love, devotion, and adventure on a scale never been seen before. At the heart of the film are two warriors on a collision course. Rama, played by Ranbir Kapoor, is the avatar of the deity Lord Vishnu. He is tasked to keep the balance of the world, and be the epitome of duty and selflessness. On the other hand, Ravana, played by Yash, is a tyrannical king who rules over the heavens, the earth, and the world of the dead. Ruled by revenge, he connects his fate with Rama by kidnapping the avatar’s beloved wife.
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Embodying the role of Rama feels like upholding all the virtues the character possesses, and Kapoor shares the responsibility he felt while taking on the character, “For thousands of years, Rama has been the conscience keeper for hundreds of millions of people,” Kapoor says. “His story tells you about the choices in life between duty and desire, compassion and revenge, and self and selflessness. Rama is the epitome of sacrifice and duty. He is the ideal man: the perfect son, husband, brother, father, teacher, and disciple. For an actor to try and capture all that is a daunting prospect.”
The role also hits close to home for Kapoor, as he was starting his family at the beginning of production. “I became a father around the time I was offered the role. So, over the three years of making the film, I began telling my daughter about the stories of The Ramayana, while actually performing these stories. It was a period of significant spiritual growth for me, for which I’m grateful,” he says.
Director Nitesh Tiwari was impressed with how the actor took on such a complex character, saying, “I’m telling you, it’s not easy to play Rama,” he confirms. “Huge respect to Ranbir, who’s a fantastic actor and a superstar. With everything that came with playing such a revered figure, Ranbir remained humbled, and he surrendered to the character. Audiences will experience a beautiful Rama, who acts with great intent and sacrifice.”
Ravana, King of La nka (now Sri Lanka) is following a very different path from Rama. The ultimate sovereign, his brilliance is unfortunately shadowed by his pride. Yash calls his character the original villain, explaining, “This story has been around for 5,000 years. Many great movie villains have been derived from Ravana.”
Yash also shares the first time he was exposed to Ramayana and the effect Ravana had on him as a child. ““Thousands of years later, people still burn Ravana’s effigies to celebrate the victory of good over evil,” he says. “As a kid, The Ramayana was the first story I heard. Even then, I respected Ravana and the way he stayed in my memory. At the same time, I learned that even the smartest and most talented people can believe in something that is dangerous.”
Tiwari aims to explore all of Ravana’s complexities in Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, “Ravana has so many aspects,” Tiwari points out. “He was a great warrior, an accomplished musician, a scholar, and, in his unique way, a benevolent king. So, there’s so much more to him than being an antagonist. It was important to showcase all these aspects of Ravana because it points to an important lesson: you can have all these admirable qualities, but if you govern by vengeance and are driven by ego, the result is a foregone conclusion. There’s a great lesson hiding in that character.”
Witness the spectacle as Ramayana: Rise of a Legend opens exclusively at SM Cinemas starting November 5.