There is mounting excitement around the much-anticipated face-off between Ranbir Kapoor’s Lord Rama and Yash’s Ravana in Nitesh Tiwari’s ambitious Ramayana. However, Yash has now confirmed that fans will have to wait a little longer for the clash, as the two characters do not share screen space in the film’s first instalment.
Yash on working with Ranbir
At the moment, Yash is attending Cinemacon with Namit Malhotra to promote Ramayana. During his outing at the international event, Yash spoke to Fandango and confirmed that he will not share screen space with Ranbir Kapoor’s Rama in the first instalment of the franchise.
That said, Yash revealed that he has met Ranbir on a few occasions, adding that both actors are aligned in their vision for the success of Ramayana.
During the interview, he was asked “what is your relationship with Ranbir on set and how did you two create that dynamic?”
“Interestingly, we both have never come together on screen in this film. As you all know, it’s a two-part film. So, in the first part, I think we have, as Ravana, I have my own kingdom, and Rama has his own kingdom,” Yash said.
He continued, “But yeah, we have met a couple of times, and he’s such a fabulous actor. I think it is mutual respect which has played out. Chemistry is like, when you’re out to do something phenomenal, and it’s as ambitious as Ramayana, all of us have a single agenda: to give our best to present this story. I think our visions are aligned, so the chemistry’s not even an issue. We’re enjoying.”
When it comes to Yash’s portrayal as Ravana, director Nitesh Tiwari previously revealed that his Ramayana films will not depict Ravana as purely a villain. Instead, Yash’s depiction of Ravana will also include his better qualities. He told Collider, “See, Ravana had so many aspects to his life. He was a great warrior, he was an accomplished musician, a scholar, a benevolent king… a great Shiva devotee. There was so much to him than just being a black character.”
More about Ramayana
Ramayana is a two-part film mounted on a massive budget of ₹4000 crore, making it not only the most expensive film ever produced in India but also one of the costliest film projects globally.
The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Yash as Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman, and Ravie Dubey as Lakhsman. The Rama glimpse focused only on Lord Rama but also gave fleeting glimpses at other characters, including Lakshman and Sita. The teaser also showed Yash’s Ravana getting out his fabled flying machine, Pushpak Vimana, at the end. The unveiling has sparked a mixed response on social media.
The first glimpse of Ramayana Part One received mixed reactions. While many praised Ranbir’s look and the scale, others criticised the half-baked VFX and the asuras’ character design. The makers have assured they are ‘listening’ and working on the film.
Ramayana features music by Oscar-winning composers Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman. Ramayana Part One is slated to release in theatres in October 2026, with the second part arriving in 2027. It also stars Sunny Deol, Lara Dutta, Kunal Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi, and Rakul Preet Singh, and is currently in post-production.