Filmmaker Om Raut’s Adipurush faced widespread criticism for its portrayal of characters and its dialogues, eventually underperforming at the box office. Saif Ali Khan’s performance and look as Ravana also drew flak. Now, Yash is set to portray the demon king in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana. In a recent interview with Variety India, actor Aarya Babbar defended Saif’s portrayal of Ravana in Adipurush and questioned what sets Yash’s look in the upcoming film apart.
Aarya Babbar questions Yash's look in Ramayana
Aarya is essaying the role of Ravana in the theatrical production Mahabali. Talking about Saif’s performance in Adipurush, Aarya said, “I think Saif was very good as Ravana. An actor is only as good as the director’s perception and interpretation. So whatever he played in Adipurush is also something what the director must have made him perform. But he brought about a different kind of intensity to the character, His performance, his look, everything was a director’s interpretation. You cannot blame the actor for that.”
However, Aarya was more critical of Yash’s look as Ravana in Ramayana. He said that while it was too early to comment on what the actor was bringing to the character, he did not feel that "there is anything new in his look except the costumes."
Aarya said, “It’s pretty much the same beard that he’s had in KGF before. It is not a new look per se that I’ve seen in Ramayana. I saw a new look of his in Toxic. I did not see it in this. I’m really hoping the way he’s performed, that would be perhaps very good. Perhaps in the whole film, I’ll see a different Yash. For now, it pretty much looks like what I’ve already seen in KGF. Yash is playing it for an international audience, not just for an Indian audience. And it’s visible with what Mr. Tiwari is doing.”
{{/usCountry}}Aarya said, “It’s pretty much the same beard that he’s had in KGF before. It is not a new look per se that I’ve seen in Ramayana. I saw a new look of his in Toxic. I did not see it in this. I’m really hoping the way he’s performed, that would be perhaps very good. Perhaps in the whole film, I’ll see a different Yash. For now, it pretty much looks like what I’ve already seen in KGF. Yash is playing it for an international audience, not just for an Indian audience. And it’s visible with what Mr. Tiwari is doing.”
{{/usCountry}}Aarya further added that the Ravana he is portraying in his theatrical production is "absolutely different" from what audiences have seen in Adipurush or will see in Ramayana.
About Ramayana
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, alongside Yash, Sai Pallavi, Ravi Dubey and Sunny Deol in key roles. The film also features Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, Rakul Preet Singh, Vivek Oberoi and Shobana. Backed by Namit Malhotra and Yash, the film is mounted on a reported budget of ₹4,000 crore and will be released in two parts. The first part is scheduled to release on November 5, 2026.
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