After months of speculation, Yash has officially announced that he will be portraying the iconic character of Ravan in Nitesh Tiwari’s highly anticipated film Ramayan. The film, which has been in the works for quite some time, also stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram and Sai Pallavi as Sita. The KGF star also revealed that he will also be co-producing the film, with plans to present it on an international scale.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Yash spoke about how he came on board for the project. While in Los Angeles working on VFX for his project Toxic, he was approached by Namit Malhotra, the head of DNEG and Prime Focus, who had been working on Ramayan for years. Yash shared that Namit had spoken to him about his vision for Ramayan and mentioned that he had been facing difficulties in finalizing the cast. As their discussions progressed, they both realized they shared a mutual goal of showcasing the film on a global platform.
Yash recalled that Namit had hesitantly approached him about the possibility of playing Ravana. He expressed that he agreed to the role, but only on the condition that the character was treated properly. Yash explained that for a film with such a large budget, it required actors who were committed to the project and its vision, beyond their personal stardom. Following further discussions with director Nitesh Tiwari, Yash fully committed to the project.
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Speaking on the casting of Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi, Yash revealed that Ranbir was already attached to the project before he joined. “Sai Pallavi, we took a collaborative decision. I believe this film has to have everybody from south and north for it to be a… Nitesh ji always wanted Sai Pallavi. I also said that it’s a great choice,” he added.
Yash mentioned that if he had been offered another character in the film, he likely wouldn’t have accepted it. He explained that Ravana is a particularly fascinating character, and he wouldn’t have taken on the project for any other role. “For me, Ravana is the most exciting character to play as an actor so I really like the shades and the nuances of particular character. There’s vast scope to present it in a very different way. As an actor, I am very excited. Hopefully, it’s going to be a very unique approach to it,” he said.
This is the first official confirmation of casting in Ramayan, which is rumored to be made on a budget of Rs 835 crore. With Yash’s involvement, the film promises to be an epic spectacle aimed at both Indian and international audiences.