Ra.One, now starring Yash

Yash. Pic/Instagram account

April brought us the first look of Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama in Ramayana: Part One. Since then, fans have been waiting eagerly for Yash's avatar as Ravana in filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari's magnum opus. On his part, the Kannada star has doubled down on his commitment to what could be one of his most complex roles. We've heard that since early April, Yash has been shooting for a performance-heavy stretch of Ramayana: Part Two, focusing on the portions that take us into Ravana's internal world.

Yash's other outing of the year, ‘Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups', has yet to lock its release date. Recently, the actor announced that the action drama has been postponed and won't arrive on June 4

Through these portions, the makers apparently intend to depict Ravana as a fully formed character, not a one-note villain. A source shared, "These aren't typical villain scenes. They are written as extended monologues, almost like Ravana is reasoning with himself. The idea is to let the audience understand how he sees the world before they judge his actions."

Ravana's shot in the ‘Ramayana' teaser

The past three weeks' shoot at the elaborate set in Film City, Goregaon, has been centred on Yash. He took a brief break in the second week of April to fly to the US for CinemaCon 2026, where he presented glimpses of Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups and Ramayana. Understanding the importance of these sequences, the director has been taking his time with them. The source added, "If the audience doesn't connect with Ravana here, the impact of everything that follows gets diluted. The writing doesn't try to soften him, but it presents his point of view."

Nitesh Tiwari. Pic/Satej Shinde

In June, Kapoor and Sunny Deol are expected to join the schedule as the production moves to confrontation sequences.

Diwali 2026
When ‘Ramayana: Part One', led by Ranbir Kapoor, arrives in cinemas