Sadhguru questions why ‘handsome’ Yash was cast as Ravana in Ramayana: ‘Villains have a blunt nose’

Spiritual leader Sadhguru and filmmaker Namit Malhotra recently sat down for a conversation on the upcoming film Ramayana, starring Ranbir Kapoor as Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. In lieu of conversation, Sadhguru questioned Namit why the ‘handsome’ Yash was cast as the villain. Here’s how the conversation went. (Also Read: ‘Your movie runs because of people, not actors’: Sadhguru cautions Ranbir Kapoor on ‘unfair expectations’ for Ramayana)

Sadhguru questions Namit Malhotra on Yash being cast as Ravana

Namit explained to Sadhguru that during the casting of Ramayana, it felt like Ravana was a ‘very important part’ and they wanted to cast someone ideal for it. The spiritual leader replied, “I don’t know how Yash became Ravana. I know him very well.” Namit tried to explain and said, “It’s because we were almost looking at a superstar-level person to come and play that role.”

However, Sadhguru seemed unconvinced, detailing his idea of what a villain should look like. He said, “A villain always means he has a blunt nose and a large stature. But Yash is a handsome man.” Namit agreed and said, “Yes, very handsome and very talented star in the country and incredibly loved. So, the whole idea was, how do we try him?”

But Sadhguru persisted, saying, “Somehow, have you noticed villains always have a blunt nose, not a sharp nose?” Namit smiled at that and tried to explain why he cast Yash, saying, “That’s a new learning for me, I will look into it. But there had to be a lot of shades of Ravana in terms of why he was who he was. And he was a devout believer of Shiva.”

About Ramayana

Ramayana is a two-part film directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra. It is one of India’s most ambitious projects yet. Apart from Ranbir, Sai and Yash, Ramayana will star Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman. The film’s two parts are scheduled to release in Diwali 2026 and 2027.