Now Reading: NT Rama Rao to Yash: Actors who played Ravana on screen
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NT Rama Rao to Yash: Actors who played Ravana on screen
The Story in Brief
As Dussehra approaches, two outlets have compiled lists of actors who have portrayed Ravana on screen over the decades. Hindustan Times notes that NT Rama Rao is the only actor to have played both Lord Ram and Ravana, essaying the demon king in ‘Bhookailas’ (1958) and ‘Sita Rama Kalyanam’ (1961). Times Now highlights BM Vyas’ expressive portrayal in ‘Sampoorna Ramayana’ (1961) as a landmark performance.
Both lists include Arvind Trivedi from the 1987 ‘Ramayan’ TV series, Akhilendra Mishra from the 2008 series, and Saif Ali Khan from ‘Adipurush’ (2023). The next major on-screen Ravana will be Kannada star Yash in Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part ‘Ramayana’, with the first instalment titled ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’ releasing on November 5.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both outlets compile actor lists ahead of Dussehra with a neutral, celebratory framing: Hindustan Times leads with NT Rama Rao being the only actor to play both Ram and Ravana, while Times Now leads with Yash as the upcoming Ravana. Neither source carries a political or critical slant. The coverage is straight lists drawn from film and TV history, with no differing framings to compare. The key common thread is the November 5 release of Ramayana: Part 1, which both outlets flag as the next big screen Ravana portrayal.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): hindustantimes.com (neutral report), timesnownews.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
