Sep 26, 2026 5:47pm IST
Namit Malhotra on Yash as Ravana in ‘Ramayana’: ‘This Journey Would Not Be Complete Without Him’
Namit Malhotra, the producer of “Ramayana,” spoke about the significance of casting Yash as Ravana in the epic directed by Nitesh Tiwari, and the actor’s contribution to the ambitious project, at an event attended by YouTuber MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) to promote the film.
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.”
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He added, “Ravana represented that energy. All of us should always remember that whenever we are on the path of 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.” The film features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Ravie Dubey as Laxman.
Speaking about Yash, Malhotra said, “Yash could not make it (for 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 also highlighted the challenges of portraying Ravana in a story deeply rooted 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.” “Ramayana Part 1” is scheduled to release in cinemas in India on November 8, 2026, coinciding with Diwali. The film will hit the screens worldwide on November 6.
The event also saw Malhotra reveal his collaboration with MrBeast on another project. “And for all of you who also, you know, may not know, in fact, I just spoke with Mr. Beast. We’re also collaborating on another film called ‘Angry Birds 3,’ which we’re producing.”
MrBeast responded, “I didn’t even know till we met today that we were actually working together.” “I think it’s called destiny,” quipped Malhotra.
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