Filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari ‘s Ramayana is one of the most anticipated films of the year. The makers recently held the film’s grand world premiere in Los Angeles, and now the team is busy promoting it worldwide. During the promotions, actor Yash opened up about his son Yatharv’s reaction to him playing Ravana in Ramayana.
The two-part film is mounted on a massive budget of ₹ 4000 crore and stars Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Sai Pallavi, Sunny Deol, and Ravi Dubey in lead roles. The first part of the film is scheduled to release in theatres on November 5, 2026, and the second part is scheduled for Diwali 2027. In a chat with television presenter Suma Kanakala on her YouTube channel, Yash revealed his son was upset about him playing Ravana and mentioned that his children grew up listening to the Ramayana from their grandparents.
Since he knows the story [of the Ramayana], he asked me, ‘You are Ravana?! How can you be Ravana? Aren’t you Rama? But he was like, ‘Then you are the bad guy. So, I explained to him about cinema and acting, showing him drawings and all of that. He added that when his son asked who he should root for while watching the film, Yash found it to be a complicated question and added, “My fans might also have the same doubt, wondering, ‘Why is Yash doing this role? Especially since, in scenes like Sita Apaharan, I should not be liked. Ravana might look glamorous, fancy, or powerful. But ultimately, if you have to win, you have to understand the essence of Lord Rama. However, in the movie, you can root for me. But don’t take it personally.'” Yatharv further asked Yash whether he would die or lose in the film. The Kannada superstar had to explain to his son that he was only playing a character. Yash admitted that the conversation caught him off guard, as he had not considered how his son might react to his role while working on the film. Helmed by Nitesh Tiwari and backed by Namit Malhotra, Ramayana is based on the epic poem by Valmiki, which chronicles the life and trials of Prince Rama. The film also features Anupam Kher, Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, Vivek Oberoi, Kunal Kapoor, Adinath Kothare, Arun Govil, Indira Krishnan, and Lara Dutta in key roles. The film will release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam across India. Sony Pictures will handle global distribution, excluding India, while Dharma Productions will distribute the film in the Hindi-speaking market.
He said, “For a son, his father is his hero. So, I said, ‘Yes, I am Rama in real life, but in the movie, I am playing Ravana. Then I told my kid in the most distinct way, ‘When we listen to the story, it is Rama whom everybody has to follow.
Yash added that he found it difficult to explain to Yatharv that the character he played was different from who he was in real life, and hoped that his son would understand this as he grew older.
He said he had thought about his fans but had not anticipated his son asking him such a question.
