Ramayana: Costume designer reveals Yash wore outfits weighing 33 kg and a 1.8-kg crown as Ravana

Yash's Ravana has been receiving widespread praise from the viewers since the release of Ramayana, and now it has been revealed that bringing the mythological character was one of the biggest challenges for the makers, particularly when it came to his appearance.

For Yash's transformation in Nitesh Tiwari's epic, the costume department had to create elaborate ensembles that showcased the grandeur of the king of Lanka.

Yash's Ravana outfits weighed up to 33 kg

During a conversation with India Today, costume stylist and designer Saniya Sardhariya opened up about the extensive work that went into creating Yash's look.

"Most of the costumes used to weigh around 16 to 20 kg, including the jewellery. But we had a few heavy pieces, like the Ravana look associated with Lanka, his wedding costume, and the costume he wore for Shurpanakha's wedding. Those were close to 30–33 kg, if I remember correctly," she said.

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The weight of the costumes also made it difficult for Yash to move freely while filming. "It was very difficult, and he would take off pieces between shots. The weight is one part of it. There's also the way the pieces sit together, right? Think about moving your head in a crown or moving your arms when you have that chest plate and structure on your shoulders. Then think about doing several takes while making the movement feel natural. That's where the fit and the lining make a difference. We tried to make it as comfortable as possible, but it was a huge, huge challenge," she added.

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Yash's crown was the biggest challenge

Apart from the elaborate costumes, creating Ravana's crown presented another major challenge for the design team. Saniya revealed that the team experimented with several 3D mock-ups before settling on a design. “I think the most difficult part was wearing the crown because any amount of weight on your head feels very restrictive and heavy. So, we experimented a lot with the idea. We had so many mock 3D crowns made, and we ensured that we got the design right first. Then we started reverse-engineering it to see how we could make it lighter and lighter. But I don't think we could go any lighter than 1.8 kg. That was the best we could do, and even that felt like a lot. You don't see that in his expressions or anything like that, but it was quite a task.”

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Despite the physical discomfort and long shooting hours, Yash managed to keep the crew entertained.

Saniya shared, "I'll give you one fun fact. We knew that it was going to be difficult and that we would be dealing with delays, long shooting hours, and all that. But there was something fun happening on set. Yash very soon discovered that this was going to be very draining. So, to entertain himself or pull our legs, he would ensure that all those sharp things we had put in our designs, whether on the crown, shoulder pads, or armbands, became everyone's problem. If something was pricking him, he would make sure everybody around him was getting poked too."

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She further added, "It was his fun way of making things lighter and happier for us on set. We had so much fun shooting. Here's an actor who had to endure so much weight, and anybody would expect him to be cranky or complain about it. But he made it so much fun for us. His music game is on another level; all the dress dadas, assistants, and ADs were laughing their heads off."

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman. The film is produced by Namit Malhotra, with music composed by AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer.

The second chapter of Ramayana is expected to arrive during Diwali 2028.