Playing Ravana in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana clearly comes with its own set of challenges for Yash, and some of them have nothing to do with acting. The Kannada star had to spend long hours wearing elaborate costumes, heavy jewellery and a rather imposing crown to get the look of the King of Lanka right. Costume designer Sania Sardhariya has now shared just how much weight the actor had to carry during filming, and the numbers are quite something.

Bringing a familiar epic like the Ramayana to the big screen is already a huge undertaking. Getting the characters to look the part is another matter altogether. The costumes have to feel grand enough for a story of this scale, but the actors are the ones who actually have to wear them, sometimes for hours at a stretch. Yash’s Ravana look was no exception, with the elaborate outfits and ornaments adding a serious physical challenge to an already demanding role.

Costumes Weighing Up to 33 Kilograms

Speaking about the work that went into creating Yash’s Ravana wardrobe, costume designer Sania Sardhariya revealed to India Today that the actor’s regular shooting outfits, including the jewellery, weighed somewhere between 16 and 20 kilograms. That was already a lot to carry around on set, but the weight went up considerably for certain important sequences.

For scenes involving Ravana sitting on his throne as the King of Lanka, along with the wedding sequences involving Ravana and Shurpanakha, the total weight of his costume reportedly reached 30 to 33 kilograms. In other words, Yash wasn’t just stepping into an elaborate costume for the camera; he was carrying the equivalent of a fairly heavy load while performing those scenes.

A Crown Weighing 1.8 Kilograms

The crown, or kireetam, was another challenge for the costume team. Designing something that looked grand enough for Ravana was one thing, but making sure Yash could actually wear it without too much discomfort was equally important. Even a relatively small amount of extra weight on the head can become tiring after several hours, so the team tried different ways to make the crown lighter.

After settling on the initial design, they created multiple 3D prototypes and used reverse-engineering methods to remove unnecessary weight. They managed to bring it down, but there was only so much they could do. According to Sania, the crown still weighed around 1.8 kilograms.

Enduring the Weight with a Smile

Wearing costumes that heavy for long shooting schedules would test anyone’s patience, particularly when the headgear and armour also restrict movement. Sania, however, had plenty of praise for Yash’s attitude on set. Despite the discomfort and exhaustion, he apparently made an effort not to let the strain affect the people around him.

She recalled that even during tiring shoots, Yash kept the mood light, joking with the crew and teasing them about the sharp edges of his armour. It might sound like a small thing, but spending hours in a costume weighing several dozen kilograms is hardly comfortable work. His ability to keep smiling through it seems to have made the process a little easier for everyone.

About the Movie ‘Ramayana’

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana is mounted on a massive scale and features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. The film has been drawing attention for its grand presentation, elaborate production design and ambitious retelling of the epic. It is also currently making waves at the box office.