Dussehra Special: 10 Screen Ravanas Who Left a Lasting Impact

Dussehra celebrates the victory of good over evil, but on screen the evil king often gets the bigger costume, the better lines, and the longer afterlife. The real lesson of India’s many Ramayana adaptations is that Ravana is not a supporting act: he is the role that reveals whether a retelling has ambition.

From Dadasaheb Phalke’s Lanka Dahan in 1917 to Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming two-part Ramayana, nearly every major retelling has been judged, in part, by its Lankapati.

The actors who wore the crown

These are the performers who defined the part across film, television and OTT:

• NT Rama Rao – Bhookailas (1958) and Sita Rama Kalyanam (1961), one of the rare stars to play both Ram and Ravana.
• Arvind Trivedi – Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana (1987), the TV performance that made him a household name.
• Akhilendra Mishra – Anand Sagar’s Ramayan (2008), where his six-month shoot was extended because of the audience response.
• Narendra Jha – the late actor led the 2006 serial Ravan, which ran for over two years.
• Arya Babbar – Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanuman (2017), who called Ravana “the most humane character in Hindu mythology.”
• Paras Chhabra – Vighnaharta Ganesh (2019), where the Bigg Boss alum found wide reach on the small screen.
• Kabir Singh Duhan – Ram Yug (2021), an eight-episode OTT drama shot largely in Mauritius.
• Saif Ali Khan – Adipurush (2023), who described the Lankapati as “the personification of vanity.”
• Rajniesh Duggal – Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha (2026), who wrote that the real victory is over “the Ravan within.”

Why Ravana stays in memory

NT Rama Rao remains a rare case: he played Shri Ram in Lava Kusha (1963) and Ravana in Bhookailas (1958) and Sita Rama Kalyanam (1961), apart from a record 17 films as Shri Krishna. Arvind Trivedi became so identified with Ramanand Sagar’s 1987 Ramayana that he was later elected to the Lok Sabha from Sabarkantha.

Saif Ali Khan framed the Adipurush version around ego, calling Ravana “the personification of vanity” and telling FC the character was “strong and fun to play.” Rajniesh Duggal went inward: “The real victory is not over Ravan… but over the Ravan within.”

On television, the role rewarded longevity: Narendra Jha’s Ravan ran for over two years, while Akhilendra Mishra’s wrap-up was pushed when audiences refused to let the 2008 Ramayan end early.

Yash and the dilemma of a familiar villain

The next actor to carry the ten heads is Yash in Ramayana: Rise of a Legend (2026). At San Diego Comic-Con in July, he said the difficulty is not the crown but the memory. “If you know the character and everybody is aware of it, then it becomes challenging,” he said.

The first instalment is scheduled for November 5. For an audience raised on these performances, the test is whether the new Ravana can be recognisable without repeating what came before.

Source: Hindustan Times

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