Tamil Cinema’s Demon King Or Tragic Hero? 

Raavan, the antagonist of the Ramayana, is a ten-headed demon king in most movies, illustrations and animations that depict him. However, he is portrayed in more than one way, sometimes even from a positive point of view, in Tamil cinema.

“It’s a thin line and if one doesn’t cross it, the narration can go whichever way they want it to go,” director Saran told Outlook. He believes that reimagining characters and narratives is welcome if the essence of the story is kept "holy". Saran says that Raavan’s character began to be viewed differently when Dravidian ideology entered the picture. The narrative established from when Valmiki wrote the Ramayana changed with the arrival of Samanargal (Tamil Jains), notes the director known for films like ‘Vasool Raja MBBS’ (dubbed in Hindi as 'Munna Bhai MBBS') and 'Gemini'.

Director Pa Ranjith’s ‘Kaala,’ though not a direct representation of Raavan, is a subtle take on the character. Superstar Rajnikanth (Kaala) is seen donning black outfits, acting as the people’s ‘saviour’ and standing up against Hari Dada (Nana Patekar)–always in white outfits--who wrongs the people of Dharavi.

Raavan’s image as an advocate for social justice, one who stands for the people of his land, is portrayed through Ranjith’s lens in 'Kaala'. Rajnikanth’s character stands up to his former lover when her actions don’t align with people’s rights. “I will always be selfish for our rights. My people are not lambs to be slaughtered by anybody,” he says.

Meanwhile, Mani Ratnam’s 2010 Tamil film 'Raavanan', which features Vikram (as Veeraiya), Aishwarya Rai (as Ragini), and Prithviraj (as Dev), is a modern-day retelling of the Ramayana, but from a place of revenge. The film’s Raavan (Veeraiya) abducts Sita (Ragini), who is Dev’s (Ram) wife. Veeraiya’s move to kidnap Ragini stems from the death of his sister Vennila (Surpanakha), portrayed by Priyamani. Mostly clad in dark-toned outfits, Veeraiya is perceived as the people’s advocate while Dev is taken as the flagbearer of honesty. 

“Yes, Raavan was a Tamilian, a worshipper of Lord Shiva. But then, does it make his act of abducting Sita right? What he did was wrong, it is as simple as that,” says action director and director Kanal Kannan. Having worked in films like 'Dasavatharam', 'Sandakozhi' and 'Ayan', Kannan says that a villain cannot be presented in any other way just because Dravidian ideologies have put forth different theories about an epic.

The common factor in all conversations about the shifted portrayal of Raavan originates from Dravidian rule in Tamil Nadu. The ideology comes from Periyar’s 'Self-Respect Movement'. Dravidian ideology opposes caste and religion and positions itself as an advocate of social justice. 

Saran provides a fresh take on Raavan. As a director and a writer, he views the entire epic from the ‘Surpanakha perspective.’ He explains the narrative, beginning with how Raavan killed Vidyutjihva in a battle with the Kalakeya Danava clan without even considering that he was taking the life of his sister’s husband. This act by Raavan stays with Surpanakha, who then considers revenge. “Once she comes to know of Ram, Laxman, and Sita, she realises that they are the right people to kill Raavan. She goes to her brother and showers praises on Sita and her beauty in front of him, sparking desire in him. Raavan’s longing for Sita ultimately leads him to abduct her, which makes Ram and Laksman his enemies and ends with them claiming his life. Such an angle is very interesting,” explains Saran. 

Kannan says that Raavan’s portrayal cannot be discussed without politics. According to Kannan, "The believers of Dravidian ideology, those who did not believe in the existence of God and more precisely, those with an ‘anti-God’ mindset, are the ones who play up the villain character."

Several theories about the epic are in circulation. Saran dismisses one such “cooked-up” theory which describes Sita as Raavan’s daughter–as shown in the 1987 Tamil film ‘Elangeswaran’. 

The exploration of Raavan’s ‘other’ side–Shiva devotee, scholar and ‘the people’s king', prompts Kannan to note that even if he was a true worshipper of Lord Shiva, he had abducted another man’s wife. “How can he be the hero then?” he asks. 

But what about creative license for filmmakers? "In terms of storytelling, there is an element of fact in Ram’s journey--right from the beginning, how he crosses all the obstacles and arrives at the point of his victory. Whereas in Raavan’s journey, there is no such element of fact, which makes up for an interesting aspect. He can do anything; he can think anything,” Saran elaborates. He adds that the narratives of Raavan being a people’s king and an advocate of social justice are all “manipulative”.

Kannan thinks that Raavan getting swayed by Surpanakha’s praises about Sita and his kidnapping of Ram’s wife is one of the biggest proofs of his villainy. “Some narratives are portraying Raavan as the hero, those are wrong,” he says. "The Ramayana is a divine epic, which shows the victory of good over evil as well as the fact that one man is for one woman. Therefore, if someone abducts another man’s wife, he is a bad character”

However, Saran notes that there can be as many interpretations as possible until the narrative is not twisted as per someone’s convenience. “If there is a copyright for the original epic, there is a particular layer to it and that layer should be kept sacrosanct,” he says. Saran warns of a time when the younger generation will glean most of their information from films, emphasising that filmmakers and creators need to be mindful of the narrative they present.

“If I make a Ramayana movie today, I would not touch it up or make changes to the original epic. I will keep it as is and capture every part of Ram’s life,” says Kannan, asserting that “no matter how big of a Shiva devotee Raavan was, what he did remains wrong.”