Yash to fans: Stop infighting, take Indian cinema global

Yash used the Bengaluru event for Ramayana: Rise of a Legend to make a plea that went beyond one film. Speaking in Kannada, the actor—who plays Ravana—asked fans to stop treating Indian cinema as a set of rival regions and start treating it as one story with a global audience.

His sharpest warning was “If we sit and fight internally like divide and rule, we will never be able to challenge the world.” The line was aimed at fan armies, but it also names a real risk for pan-India releases: if the audience splits into camps before a film opens, the event feels smaller than it should.

Why Yash is asking fans to stand down

Yash called on Kannadigas and audiences across South India to give the film a chance, and his test was simple: “If the intent is right, I think everybody should stand up.”

He also reminded the room of Lord Ram’s place in Indian culture and asked viewers to experience the story as cinema, not just memory. “We have all grown up listening to stories. But how can you see the picture visually, this ‘Ramayana’ has to be tried,” he said.

A film built for a wider stage

The team behind the epic explains why the unity pitch matters. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film brings together talent from across industries and countries:

• Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram
• Sai Pallavi as Sita
• Yash as Ravana
• Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman
• Music by AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer

That pairing of Indian epics with Hollywood scoring power gives the film a rare crossover promise. If it travels, it becomes a template. If fan wars pull it back, the moment gets smaller.

A rare vote of confidence for Ranbir Kapoor

Yash also spoke about his co-star’s preparation. He said that as an actor he had seen Ranbir “surrendered” to the role of Lord Ram. “I don’t know, it’s very difficult for somebody to be like that, for that focus. God will always bless him,” he said.

That kind of endorsement matters because casting in a mythological epic is debated endlessly before release. Yash shifted the question from who should play Ram to whether the actor gave himself to the part.

What fans can do with this

Yash ended with a simple request: spread love, don’t be angry with one another, and support films that aim to tell meaningful stories. For the audience, that means judging the work by its intent, giving ambitious Indian cinema a fair run, and letting the screen make the argument.

Source: The Times of India