Ravan for generation next

Aarya Babbar on opting to play Ravan instead of Hanuman in "Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanuman" on Sony.

May 03, 2015 08:10 pm | Updated 08:10 pm IST

04dmc raavan

04dmc raavan

Actor Aarya Babbar is ready for his second appearance on television with a new show Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanuman on Sony Entertainment channel where he will be seen playing the role of the mythical villain Ravan. The actor says that the show is to attract the new generation which is more interested in Avengers , Man of Steel and Krrish . He believes there is no bigger character than Ravan. “This is my first fiction appearance on television. I have tried to create a super villain or a super demon through Ravan. I want to connect with the new generation. I don’t think there could have been a better character than Ravan to do this,” says Babbar. Babbar believes Ravan was meted out injustice and his character is always perceived with a bias. He admires the role of Ravan played by actor Arvind Trivedi, in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana . “I loved Arvind ji’s role. The role left an impression onmy mind. When I was given this role, the first thing I decided was that I have to do it differently from how he presented it. Everybody till now has portrayed Ravan like Arvind ji. The style of performance, the moustache, the belly and the dressing sense have always been the same. That is how I feel,” says Babbar.

The actor reveals he had to work a lot to get the look right. He grew his moustache and stubble. The make-up and the physique of Ravan has been worked out in a way that makes him look nonchalant about everything.“We wanted to show that even when he is looking shabby, he carries the attitude that I am Ravan and I am the Lankeshwar (Lanka’s God). I am the one who moved Mahadev Shiv ji’s home Kailash Mountain with bare hands. So he is that kind of a person who doesn’t care how he looks because he is Ravan. We have given a Sri Lankan and South Indian touch to the eyes. There is a red eyeliner on black smoky eyes. If you look at the eyes, it seems that he just picked up the make-up, rubbed it and left,” explains Babbar.

The actor tells usthat he was also offered the role of Hanuman on this show and it was his decision to choose the role of Ravan. “It was a conscious decision. That is because how many shades can I show as Hanuman? Till the time Ravan does not exist, there is no shade. Till the time Ravan does not come, Ram does not get the opportunity to create Ramayana. Till the time Ravan doesn’t come, Hanuman doesn’t realise that he has powers and he is god-gifted. Ravan is the one who helps these characters to come into existence,” says Babbar.

Recently, the cast of the series performed the trailer at Kingdom of Dreams in Gurgaon.

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