Ramayana's Kumbhakarna used Mark Ruffalo's Hulk as reference, reveals Faisal Malik: 'He's massive'

Faisal Malik plays Kumbhakarna in Ramayana, which stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama and Yash as Ravana.

We have seen giants on screen in The Lord of the Rings and other fantasy franchises. Over the last two decades, Hulk has come to define brute strength on the big screen, with Mark Ruffalo’s portrayal of the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe becoming widely praised. In fact, such is the reverence for the character that actor Faisal Malik based his portrayal of the asura Kumbhakarna in Ramayana on him.

Faisal Malik (right) says his Kumbhakarna uses Mark Ruffalo's Hulk as a reference.

Faisal Malik on Kumbhakaran

In a recent interview with Variety India, Faisal Malik opened up on playing Kumbhakarna in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana. The trailers of the film have given a good glimpse at the gigantic size of the asura and Ravana’s brother. In the epic, Kumbhakarna is described as 600 bows in height, which could imply a height of 1800-2400 feet. Talking about transforming into the behemoth, Faisal said, “We have all seen the Hulk and how Mark Ruffalo becomes the big green guy. That is a reference for me when I started imagining how I would look.”

Best known for playing Prahlad Cha in Panchayat, Faisal has also appeared in small parts in films such as Gangs of Wasseypur. Ramayana’s Kumbhakarna is his highest-profile role yet. Talking about the experience, he added, “My experience of playing Kumbhakarna in Ramayana is a dream come true. We grew up watching Ramayana, so playing a character from it feels like sheer luck. The challenge here is that this world is completely different for me. He isn't a normal human; he's massive, and he was in a deep sleep for six months. To keep all of that in mind and derive a final output is a tricky part.”

Nalin Dave played Kumbhakarna in Ramanand Sagar’s 1987 TV series, Ramayan. It is considered one of the most defining portrayals of the character.

All about Ramayana

Produced by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios in collaboration with DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, Ramayana is planned as a two-part film. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman. The first part is scheduled for worldwide release on November 5, 2026, while the second part is set for Diwali 2027. The films 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. The film is also planned for a worldwide IMAX release.