Yash’s Ravana crown alone weighed 1.8 kg after several design changes and mock 3D trials.
The costume designer said the crown was the toughest part because even a small weight on the head felt restrictive during long shoots.
Ramayana Part One starred Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash and Ravie Dubey in lead roles.
Designing costumes for mythological films is a mammoth task. Ramayana's costume stylist and designer Saniya Sardhariya opened up about the design of Yash's Ravana costumes and the elaborate looks in Nitesh Tiwari's film.
On costume design of Ramayana
Sardhariya told India Today that Yash’s costumes as Ravana in Ramayana weighed 16-20 kg on most days and went up to 30-33 kg on some days. She revealed that the crown alone weighed 1.8 kg after several design changes, calling it the hardest part of the look because even a small weight on the head felt restrictive during long shoots.
"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 Surpanakha's wedding. Those were close to 30–33 kg, if I remember correctly," Sardhariya said.
On crown design challenge
Designing the crown was the toughest problem. Sardhariya revealed they experimented a lot with the idea; they made several mock 3D crowns and ensured that they 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," she added.
The designer also said the heavy costumes limited Yash's movement on set. Sardhariya recalled Yash staying with the costumes for long hours despite the discomfort and keeping the crew entertained.
Ramayana Part One, which hit the theatres on November 5, stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman. The second Part of the Namit Malhotra and Yash-backed film is scheduled for 2028.
