Ranbir Kapoor Wanted His ‘Ramayana’ Armor to Fit Like a Second Skin, Designer Ajay Kumar Reveals Last-Minute Challenge (EXCLUSIVE)

Creating the visual world of Nitesh Tiwari's “Ramayana: Part 1” involved extensive research, intricate craftsmanship and close collaboration between its actors and technical teams. For costume and armor designer Ajay Kumar, one of the biggest challenges was getting Ranbir Kapoor's armor as Lord Rama right. In an exclusive conversation with Variety India, Kumar reveals how the actor's feedback shaped the final look, why the fitting became a last-minute challenge and how he approached designing armor for Yash's Ravana.

Kumar, who has previously worked on films such as Sanjay Leela Bhansali's “Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela,” “Bajirao Mastani” and “Padmaavat,” joined the Ramayana team after his name was recommended by Supervising Producer Chetan Deolekar. He began by creating a sample armor for King Dashrath (played by Arun Govil), before moving on to Rama's prince look for the sequence in which he accompanies sage Vishwamitra to fight Taraka and Subahu.

Related Stories

‘Ramayana Part 2’: Raghav Juyal On Meghnad’s Battle With Lakshman And Nitesh Tiwari’s Brief: ‘He Wanted A Certain Glint, An Almost Evil Intensity And Fire In My Eyes’ (EXCLUSIVE)

‘Ramayana’: Yash’s Ravana Jewelry Weighs 6-7 kg, Crown Alone Is 1.8 Kg, Reveals Costume Designer Saniya Sardhariya (EXCLUSIVE)

Ranbir’s feedback changed the armor

Speaking about the challenges of creating the princely armor that Kapoor wears in the first half of the film, Kumar says, "I have been in this industry for 15 years but not as an armor designer. The most challenging was to deliver the first armor. My sample had a thickness of 8mm to 10mm, but the final product had to have a thickness of 2mm to 4mm. It was very tough because it was made of rubber, which took two weeks."

However, the process became even more demanding when Ranbir Kapoor shared his feedback. The actor wanted the armor to be more refined and fitted closely to his body, without extending away from the shoulder or neckline. "Ranbir also gave his feedback. He told me I did exactly what he was looking for, but he wanted it to be refined. He wanted the armour to be fitted to the skin and away from the shoulder or neckline. I got the same feedback from Ravie Dubey (Lakshman)," Kumar reveals.

The designer had just two days to incorporate the changes. He eventually delivered the armor an hour before the shoot. "I went to RK's vanity and requested him to try his armor on. He kept trusting me with the whole process, and it was important for me to make him feel like Ram in the clothes. I was scared because everything depended on how the armor was. Then he tried it on and gave me a go-ahead. He liked my work," he adds.

Creating Ravan’s armor for Jatayu scene

While Saniya Sardhariya was Yash's stylist, Kumar was involved in developing the actor's armor, particularly for the Jatayu fight sequence. He was initially assigned to create the armor for Yash's stunt double, but eventually developed one for the actor as well.

"We shared the look with Saniya and her team, and they liked it. He also liked the look and was open to trying it on. Someone from his team travelled to Bengaluru with the sample for his trial. Having worked on so many armor developments, I knew how to get the body fit right in one go. Thankfully, the fitting was absolutely perfect on the first attempt," he says.

Kumar also designed the look for Vivek Oberoi's Vidyutjihva, the king of Janasthana. The team initially conducted a look test with Harish Uthaman, who plays Vibhishana, before Oberoi came on board. The costume was subsequently modified based on the actor's comfort and Nitesh Tiwari's suggestion to incorporate leatherwork.

Inside the Craftsmanship

One of the other distinctive costume developments involved exploring traditional weaving techniques and materials such as cane, bamboo and jute. Kumar and his team initially approached local vendors in Mumbai but soon realized that the expertise they needed was in Assam.

They travelled to Guwahati and then Barpeta, where they collaborated with artisan Jainul Abdeen and his team to develop the first prototype. The design went through multiple rounds of sampling between Assam and Mumbai before the final structure came together.

The team subsequently incorporated wooden beads, jute elements and intricate handwork, with Kumar also bringing in a Patwa team he had previously collaborated with on “Ram-Leela.”

“The initial prototype was fairly basic, without the embellishments. The wooden details and extensive jute work came in much later. We went through two or three rounds of sampling between Assam and Mumbai before arriving at the final body structure,” he explains.

Kumar further adds, “Once the first sample came together, we felt that it was working well for the forest setting. We then began adding the finer details, including wooden beads and jute elements. We started exploring different varieties of jute, wooden beads in different sizes and thicknesses, and various threads. The final piece was aesthetically detailed, and a lot of credit goes to my team and the artisans who were skilled enough to execute the work.”

How much of ‘Ramayana: Part 2’ has been shot?

With “Ramayana: Part 1” complete, Kumar confirms that work on the second instalment is already underway. "We have completed approximately 30 to 40% of the shoot. The filming of “Ramayana” was divided into different blocks and sequences. We also had two teams working simultaneously on the project - one handling the action sequences and the other focusing on the drama," he explains.