Director Nitesh Tiwari has fans counting down the days to the release of his epic ‘Ramayana‘, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Yash in lead roles. As the first part of the film franchise gears up for its release on Diwali 2026, the director shed light on the portrayal of his lead antagonist, Ravana. Nitesh Tiwari on Yash’s RavanaWhile promoting the film in Los Angeles, director Tiwari, said in a chat with Collider that his lead antagonist, played by Yash, will be explored with greater depth and complexity rather than as a one-dimensional villain. Addressing whether Ravana would be depicted as a traditional villain he shared, “He had so many aspects to his life. He was a great warrior, an accomplished musician, a scholar, a benevolent king, a great Shiva devotee. So there was so much more to him than just being one black character.”Nitesh Tiwari on exploring RavanaThe filmmaker emphasised that highlighting these details of his life, serve a deeper purpose in the film’s story. He further explained, “Why it is important for us to showcase all these bits and aspects of his life, is because there is a very important lesson which is hiding in them. You can have all these great qualities, but if you are governed by vengeance and if you are driven by ego, then you know what the end results are going to be. So there’s a great lesson which is hiding out there.”‘Ramayana’ release dateRamayana, which stars Ranbir as Lord Rama and Sai Pallavi as Sita, is being positioned as a large-scale retelling of the ancient epic, blending spectacle with emotion. The film which reportedly has a runtime of six hours, will be split into two parts, with part 1 releasing on Diwali 2026 and part 2 releasing on Diwali 2027.
