The much-awaited ‘Ramayana’, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, has been generating buzz ever since its cast was announced. One casting choice that has drawn particular attention is Yash stepping into the role of Ravana. At a recent promotional event for the film, which saw YouTuber MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) in attendance, producer Namit Malhotra opened up about what made the casting decision so significant, along with the actor’s contribution to the ambitious project.
Namit Malhotra on what Ravana symbolizes
Malhotra said, “Ravana symbolizes that force, that energy, that aspect in all of us that resides in our consciousness when we get overtaken by greed, power and the ability to control everything; we lose the goodness, the compassion and the ability to sacrifice. Ravana represented that energy. All of us should always remember that whenever we are on the path to achieving great things, we must never forget where we came from. And that’s one mistake that Ravana made, which brought his downfall, when he had all the power, all the strength in the world.”
Namit Malhotra calls Yash a ‘pillar of support’
Talking about Yash, Malhotra stated, “Yash could not make it [to the event]. He is absolutely a superstar playing the role of Ravana. One of the things that I must state is that when this film had to be made, I needed someone like him to really have the ability to stand there and become this pillar of support.”Malhotra further spoke about the difficulty of essaying Ravana, a character with deep roots in Indian mythology.“Because to play Ravana, who is so disliked, it took someone like him to have the courage to come on board as a producer and really support our aspiration of making ‘Ramayana’ not just to make every Indian proud, but also to take it to the entire world. And that’s what we’re doing. We miss you, Yash. I hope you’re feeling better, but this journey would not be complete without you.”
Namit Malhotra reveals collaboration with MrBeast on ‘Angry Birds 3 ’
At the event, Malhotra also opened up about teaming up with MrBeast for a separate project.“And for all of you who also, you know, may not know, in fact, I just spoke with MrBeast. We’re also collaborating on another film called ‘Angry Birds 3,’ which we’re producing.”To this, MrBeast responded, “I didn’t even know till we met today that we were actually working together.”Malhotra quipped in response, “I think it’s called destiny.”
‘Ramayana Part 1’ release details
‘Ramayana Part 1’ is set to hit Indian theatres on November 8, 2026, timed with Diwali, while its worldwide release is scheduled for November 6. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Ravi Dubey as Laxman.