Yash wore Ravana costumes weighing up to 33 kg in Ramayana; crown alone weighed 1.8 kg, reveals designer

Costume designer Saniya Sardhariya says Yash’s elaborate Ravana outfits for Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana weighed 16–20 kg, with some reaching 33 kg.

The making of an epic mythological film is always challenging, especially when it is based on a Hindu epic like the Ramayana. Costumes play an important role in bringing such characters to life and convincing audiences of their portrayal. In a recent interaction, costume stylist and designer Saniya Sardhariya spoke about Yash’s elaborate look as Ravana, revealing that the actor had to wear costumes weighing between 16 and 20 kg. On some days, the costumes weighed as much as 30–33 kg.

Yash played the role of Ravana in Ramayana.

'Most of the costumes used to weigh around 16 to 20 kg'

Speaking to India Today, Saniya said, "Most of the costumes used to weigh around 16 to 20 kg, including the jewellery. But we had a few heavy pieces, like the Ravana look associated with Lanka, his wedding costume, and the costume he wore for Surpanakha's wedding. Those were close to 30–33 kg, if I remember correctly."

The crown that Yash wore was 1.8 kg

Saniya admitted that the most difficult part of designing Ravana's costume was his crown. She revealed that despite several attempts to reduce its weight, the crown eventually weighed 1.8 kg.

She said, “I think the most difficult part was wearing the crown because any amount of weight on your head feels very restrictive and heavy. So, we experimented a lot with the idea. We had so many mock 3D crowns made, and we ensured that we got the design right first. Then we started reverse-engineering it to see how we could make it lighter and lighter. But I don't think we could go any lighter than 1.8 kg. That was the best we could do, and even that felt like a lot. You don't see that in his expressions or anything like that, but it was quite a task.”

She also spoke about how the elaborate costumes restricted the actor's movements. Despite the physical discomfort and long hours, however, Yash took it in his stride and often amused those around him. Saniya recalled that the actor soon realised how draining the experience would be. To entertain himself and playfully tease the team, he would turn the sharp elements of his costume into everyone's problem.

About Ramayana

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana, and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman. Produced by Namit Malhotra, the film features music by AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer. The first part is scheduled for a Diwali 2026 release, while the second part is expected to arrive in 2028.