Ramayana villains can’t be justified, says Lagadapati Sridhar, but he backs Yash and Rakul’s views

New Delhi: The way Ramayana’s negative characters are being portrayed has become a talking point online, and veteran Tollywood producer Lagadapati Sridhar has now shared his view. He feels filmmakers should be careful when they handle characters from the epics, especially if a villain is shown in a sympathetic light.

Rakul Preet Singh on Surpanakha

The discussion picked up after a video from a recent interview of Rakul Preet Singh went viral. She plays Surpanakha in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana and described the character as layered and misunderstood. She also pointed out that Surpanakha’s actions set off the chain of events that led to the war.

“She’s a very misunderstood character… so it’s been really interesting to play something with so many multiple shades,” Rakul said.

A section of social media users did not take it well. Many asked whether trying to understand a character’s motives should mean justifying what that character did. Some accused the makers of whitewashing negative roles, and a few worried that such readings could weaken the image of Lord Ram.

Yash on playing Ravana

Yash, who plays Ravana in the film, has spoken about how he approached the role. “When you play such characters, you have to believe in them. Nobody does something thinking they are bad. They always have their own reasons,” he said. The actor shared that he spent a long time studying Ravana’s mindset, motivations and justifications, and called the process challenging but creatively rewarding.

Lagadapati Sridhar on Ramayana’s good and evil

Sridhar said the characters of the epic have been tampered with in some retellings. “I think these characters have been tampered with, with attempts being made to justify their evil actions. The Ramayana clearly distinguishes between good and evil, with no grey areas. Telugu filmmakers have traditionally maintained that distinction. Even legendary actor NTR, while portraying Ravana, did not alter the character’s dark image,” he said.

At the same time, he does not fault the two actors. “I think Yash was right in his own way and Rakul has her reasons. Epics like the Ramayana are meant to show different shades of human nature — what to do and what not to do,” Sridhar said.

In his view, Ravana cannot be seen only as a villain, given his strengths as a warrior, a scholar and a devotee. The producer said the character carries a mix of positive, grey and dark shades. He also understands why the criticism has come up. Indian culture has long seen Ravana as the ultimate symbol of evil, so any attempt to present him differently is likely to draw strong reactions.