EXCLUSIVE: Yash didn't wear Ravana's ten heads, but 9 - designer decodes viral brooch

"Nine heads in the ornament. The tenth in the man," says Saniya Sardhariya, the mind behind Yash's viral Ravana brooch that is going viral across the internet.

Yash never disappoints when it comes to fashion, and he proved it again at the Los Angeles premiere of Ramayana: Rise of a Legend. Dressed in an all-black ensemble, the Rocking Star looked every bit regal, but it was that one detail that stole the show - a custom-made bespoke gold ornament, custom-made by his stylist Saniya Sardhariya.

At first glance, it looked like Ravana's ten heads, Dashanan, sculpted into jewellery. But on closer inspection, there were only nine. And that was the whole point. In exclusive content provided to WION, designer Sardhariya decoded the philosophy behind her creation, titled 'The Tenth Head'.

Yash's Dashanan brooch: Not ten, but nine heads

In Namit Malhotra's Ramayana, Yash is playing Ravana, and ever since his first look was revealed, he has carried that character regally while promoting the film. It was that same devilish aura that the actor brought to the event, looking striking in an all-black ensemble with his huge beard and black sunglasses. All matched perfectly.

Method dressing always has a heart to it, but how the designer aces it makes all the difference. For the Los Angeles premiere of Ramayana, Yash didn't just walk the red carpet at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures' David Geffen Theatre; he embodied his character. And the high point of his look was a custom gold brooch, which at first glance seemed to show Ravana's ten heads, but actually had only nine.

Answering what the thought behind her creation titled ‘The Tenth Head’ was, designer Sardhariya said, ''Ravana was never just a king with ten heads. To me, those ten heads symbolised the extraordinary dimensions of his mind — intellect, wisdom, ambition, power, devotion and the many contradictions that made him such a fascinating character. When I began conceptualising this piece for RSY’s LA premiere, I wanted to interpret that symbolism rather than recreate it literally.''

''So I made a conscious decision to sculpt only nine heads. Because I liked to believe that RSY himself would be the tenth.

I didn’t want eleven heads. I wanted the ornament and the man wearing it to complete each other,'' she said.

The craftsmanship behind ‘The Tenth Head’

Zoom in on the brooch, and the craftsmanship speaks for itself. The nine heads aren't just placed together; they are crowned with well-layered mukuts inspired by Lankan temple architecture, giving it a sculptural and divine regality. Ravana and his many minds have been created after 3D studies to focus on the intricate designs.

What’s hard to miss is the intricate detailing, which has been created after 3D studies, and as one must have noticed, each crown, each expression is etched with temple-jewellery-like finesse, not flat. The big head in the middle has expressions of the pride that Ravana had.

Then there are the hanging chains with the spear-like pendant at the bottom, which don't just add movement but add a quiet glamour as they balance out mythology with modern red-carpet luxury.

Watch Yash plays one of the grandest avatars of Ravana in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, in theatres on Nov 5.