Yash’s Ravana Debate: Is Ramayana Glorifying the Villain? What Yash and the Makers Say

Every Ramayana has a Ravana. But it’s been a long time since a Ravana got people this worked up.

Since Ramayana: Part One hit cinemas on November 5, Yash’s demon king has become the most argued-about part of the film. Some viewers walked out calling it a once-in-a-generation performance. Others think the film makes the villain a little too cool. And the argument is spilling into TV studios, X threads and family WhatsApp groups.

Here’s what the debate is really about, and what Yash, the director and the people around the film have said.

Why Is Everyone Talking About Yash’s Ravana?

Two things: the performance and the presentation. Yash plays Ravana with real menace, but also with intelligence, devotion and wounded pride. And the film gives him moments of pure spectacle, from the golden armour to the Ravana vs Jatayu fight that audiences keep praising.

The Ten-Headed Ravana That Broke the Internet

The biggest talking point is the ten heads. Instead of ten copies of one face, each head has its own look and its own voice. Yash reportedly worked closely with his make-up team to show Ravana’s inner doubt, arrogance and complexity.

According to reports, the heads represent different sides of human nature: kama (desire), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (attachment), mada (pride), matsarya (envy), and manas, buddhi, chitta and ahamkara (mind, intellect, consciousness and ego). It’s a striking idea, and it’s exactly what has fuelled the “is he a villain or an anti-hero?” argument.

The Criticism: Is the Film Glorifying Ravana?

Not everyone is cheering. A section of viewers and critics on social media says the film risks over-glorifying Ravana. Their concern is that Ravana is the symbol of evil, the figure whose effigies are burned every Dussehra, and the film makes him too magnetic.

The other complaint is about balance. Some viewers feel Yash’s screen presence overshadows Ranbir Kapoor’s Rama, which matters in a story that is supposed to be about Rama.

What Yash Said About Playing Ravana

Yash has defended his take in a behind-the-scenes video shared by the makers. He said that when he chose the role, “None of my friends or family… everybody was like, ‘Why do you want to play Ravana?'”

His answer: “We need to understand that he’s not a straightforward villain. Rama is like the heart. Ravana is like the brain.” He added that as a producer he wanted to make the Ramayana because “it’s our story”, but as an actor he wanted to play Ravana, and that “none of us are bigger than Ramayana”.

What the Director and Producer Say

Nitesh Tiwari has pointed to Ravana’s many qualities to explain the approach: “A great astrologer, a great devotee of Shiva, a great warrior… What went wrong?” The film, in other words, is interested in how a great man falls.

Producer Namit Malhotra summed up the casting gamble neatly: Ravana is “one of the most disliked characters in the country”, and Yash is “someone people are obsessed with as a superstar”. Ranbir Kapoor has also praised Yash’s performance.

Others Weigh In

Actor Susmita Mukherjee told NDTV that Ravana represents the evil within human beings, his ten heads standing for the “dasa doshas”, the ten flaws. Producer Lagadapati Sridhar had backed Yash’s view earlier, pointing out that epics show “different shades of human nature” and that NT Rama Rao’s famous Ravana was also shown as a great devotee of Shiva.

Our Take

A layered Ravana isn’t new. Telugu and Kannada cinema explored his devotion and intellect decades ago, and many retellings do the same. What’s new is the scale, and a superstar with Yash’s following in the role. The film still shows where Ravana’s choices lead. Whether that’s enough balance is exactly what audiences are arguing about. Watch it and decide for yourself, then tell us below.

Also see who voices him in Hindi: Sharad Kelkar on dubbing Yash’s Ravana.

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