the director Nitesh Tiwari has fans counting down the days to the release of his epicRamayana‘, protagonist Ranbir Kapoor and Yash in lead roles. As the first part of the film franchise is all set to release on Diwali 2026, the director shed some light on the portrayal of his main antagonist Ravana. Nitesh Tiwari in Yash’s RavanaWhile promoting the film in Los Angeles, director Tiwari chatted with Collider that he will explore his main antagonist, played by Yash, with more depth and complexity than as a one-dimensional villain. He addressed whether Ravana would be portrayed as a traditional villain: “He had so many facets to his life. He was a great warrior, a great musician, a sage, a benevolent king, a great devotee of Shiva. So there was a lot more to it than just being a black character.Nitesh Tiwari on exploring RavanaThe filmmaker emphasized that highlighting these details of his life has a deeper purpose in the film’s story. He also explained: “What’s important for us is to show all those parts and aspects of his life because there’s a very important lesson that’s hidden in them. You can have all these great qualities, but if you’re ruled by revenge and driven by ego, then you know what the end results will be. So there’s a great lesson that’s hidden.”‘Ramayana’ release dateRamayana, starring Ranbir as Lord Rama and Sai Pallavi as Sita, is being positioned as a grand-scale retelling of the ancient epic, mixing spectacle with emotion. The six-hour film will be released in two parts, Part 1 on Diwali 2026 and Part 2 on Diwali 2027.
