Yash shares why playing Ravana in Ramayana came with 'extra pressure'

During Ramayana’s promotional campaign at the San Diego Comic-Con, actor Yash opened up about the challenges of portraying Ravana. He spoke about stepping into the shoes of the iconic antagonist. The actor revealed that Ramayana was among the first stories he heard as a child and that taking on a character so deeply familiar to audiences came with its own set of challenges.During an interaction with IGN alongside co-star Ranbir Kapoor, director Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra, Yash said that the audience’s existing perception of Ravana added to the pressure of playing the role.“If you know the character and everybody is aware of it, then it becomes challenging. If it's a new film where you are telling a new story, whatever you do, that will become the character. But if people already have some image about it since so many people have played it in different ways, then it's extra pressure for an actor,” the KGF actor said.The 40-year-old star added that he focused on understanding Ravana’s motivations and the intent behind his actions while preparing for the role. “But I stuck to very simple basics to understand what made him do such things. The intent was important. I have given a different take on it and hopefully people will like it,” he added.Yash also revealed that Ramayana was among the first stories he heard as a child and that taking on a character so deeply familiar to audiences came with its own set of challenges. “As a kid, we have all heard this story. It's probably the first story I have heard. My grandfather used to tell me these stories. You have your imagination and you have seen so many people depict this in many ways. So what do you bring in as an actor and what is your understanding of the character that was challenging. Thankfully, my director and writers have given me that space, so I could play this character in a different way,” Yash said.The Ramayana team’s much-awaited appearance at San Diego Comic-Con was expected to conclude with the global release of the film’s trailer on Friday, July 24 morning. However, producer Namit Malhotra later announced that the trailer launch had been postponed indefinitely in a statement.Though the statement mentioned their partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, the concluding lines of the statement referenced the youth of the country amid the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led student protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. The statement read, "I thank all the fans and the believers of Ramayana for helping make this happen. The youth of our country are our future. Let's all do the best we can to protect our future."The statement from the makers comes a week after they hosted a grand trailer launch at Delhi's Bharat Mandapam, which saw the presence of people from various walks of life, including politicians, bureaucrats, spiritual leaders and others.Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana stars Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Sai Pallavi, Rakul Preet Singh, Vivek Oberoi, Kunal Kapoor and Arun Govil, among others, in key roles. The first part of the film is slated to release on Diwali 2026 while the second part will hit theatres in 2027.- EndsPublished By: Prachi aryaPublished On: Jul 27, 2026 12:14 IST