The Sun God appears on stage to provide answers to the questions that Luv and Kush ask of their father, Ram. He states, “Every story has a hero and an anti-hero. To know more about Ram, you must know about Raavan.” The audience waits with bated breath as the air is filled with smoke. A song begins and a spotlight pierces the darkened auditorium. As Raavan walks up to the stage through the audience, loud applause and whistling echo in the hall.
It is a peculiar sight to see people cheer the entry of Raavan on stage in a play on the Ramayana. Then again, the actor who plays Raavan is the biggest star in the cast—Ashutosh Rana, known for the unforgettable villains he has essayed on screen. An intriguing mix of mythology and stardom is at play as the hall has filled up to watch their favourite anti-hero being played by a memorable villain.
Apeksha Priyadarshini spoke to Ashutosh Rana before his performance in Humare Ram at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi. Excerpts:
What is it that attracts you to Raavan?
My attraction is towards Ram, but to know Ram, you need to see him through Raavan’s perspective. I firmly believe this philosophy. It was to put an end to Raavan that Lord Vishnu had to be incarnated as Ram. If he had to take the form of a human from a formless force, then it must have been for someone so worthy, whose existence cannot be balanced by anyone other than God himself.
So, my interest in Raavan has been in that part of his divinity—his wisdom, his knowledge, his complete surrender and unbounded love and devotion towards Lord Shiva. The question is, even after all his qualities, what happened that Raavan gained arrogance about his knowledge, but couldn’t gain the knowledge about his arrogance? When we look at the journey of Raavan, we find that his journey is a lesson for all, including me and you.
The personality of Raavan is very distinguished. What does an enemy do? Raavan was the enemy of Lord Ram. The one who obstructs our path is seen as our enemy. But it is also the enemy who rejuvenates the latent energy within us. The figure of the enemy boosts our arrogance as well as destroys it. Hence, they make us aware of our own arrogance. The insecurity generated by the enemy inspires us to be more secure. It is the enemy who pulls us out of our comfort zone to move into uncharted territories. This is why the figure of the enemy is not someone to be insulted, but someone who must be respected. So, try to welcome your enemies; they will refine your character. It is the importance of the enemy’s perspective that invokes my interest in the figure of Raavan.
You see people worshipping Ram to connect with his being, but Raavan is the one who fought with him and became connected to him for all eternity. Some people are connected, but fight with each other and there are others who fight each other to become connected forever.
As an actor, what is your process to perform such roles? How do you embody such a character?
Whatever character I choose, my effort is always that I try to finish the ‘Ashutosh Rana’ inside me. Once ‘Ashutosh Rana’ ends, then the character comes to life. When you erase yourself, whatever you create becomes unique and entertaining. I never try to connect with the body of the character; rather, I try to capture the thought process. I try to match my mentality to that of the character.
You have also written a book called Ram Rajya. How have you interpreted Raavan in your book?
The book Ram Rajya is my perspective on the Ramayana. It’s my view on the journey of Lord Ram as a devout follower. A great personality is someone who inspires greatness within you. If you feel smaller upon meeting someone, then they cannot be classified in the same category. If anyone ardently believes in the supreme Lord Ram then that person must decidedly undergo a transformation of his energies (urja). My book explores the journey of Ramayana with these questions.
Ram defeated Raavan, who had a highly equipped army at that time. On the other hand, Ram merely had an untrained army of monkeys and bears at his disposal. When an untrained army defeats a highly trained army, it reflects what leadership means. This book demonstrates the difference between a king and a hero. As its author, it gives me great pleasure that the book is a bestseller in Hindi and has been awarded the Sahitya Akademi prize.
There are many versions of the Ramayana. Some of them have Raavan as the hero.
I believe that there must be heroic qualities in Raavan. In any story, there is always a hero and an anti-hero. Both Ram and Raavan were great devotees of Lord Shiva. Both worshipped the divine shakti. Both were adulated scholars and able warriors. In spite of having the same qualities, why is one revered and the other condemned? If we look at their journeys, Ram traversed from power to devotion and Raavan from devotion to power. When we look at the whole narrative, we realise that there is both distribution of power and accumulation of power in it. While Raavan believed in conquering, Ram believed in setting free. With just a difference in perspectives, we see contrasting consequences in their destinies, even though they had the same heroic qualities.
You started your journey from the National School of Drama (NSD), went on to do theatre and later entered the film industry. What’s the difference in your experience between theatre and cinema?
As an actor, all platforms are just mediums to transport one’s art. Both film and theatre require honesty in your performance for your audience to enjoy your work. As an actor, you need to be aware and all your five senses must be alert to perform the truth of the moment. A single mistake can break the flow of the whole performance. The good thing with theatre is that you get to practice keeping all of your senses focused on your performance. I believe that theatre is like a practicing ground; whereas, cinema is the exhibiting ground.
In theatre, you match your breathing pattern not just with your co-actors, but also with the audience. Their pace of breathing must be synchronised with yours to save you from total doom (pralay). Apart from your co-actors and the audience, you also have to be synchronised with the character you’re playing. This very art of maintaining the synchronisation keeps you aware the whole time in theatre. In cinema, the freedom you have is that after you give a 15-minute shot, you get your “me time”. But in theatre, you don’t get this “me time”. If your play is three and a half hours long, then you have to be invested on the stage for the entire period.
You’ve played negative roles in films like Sangharsh and Dushman. Do you think the antagonist is more challenging to perform than the hero?
Yes, it is more difficult to perform negative roles. These characters are considered negative by society at large. The actors doing these roles have two choices: you can choose to perform these roles with these characters being negative in your own imagination as well. However, it becomes challenging when for the whole world, your character is a villain, but he himself believes he’s a hero. I imagine him leading his life from a positive perspective. So, to play a negative role while conceiving it in a positive light, without losing his negativity, is quite a difficult job.
