Yami Gautam, Aanand L Rai bring star power to Red Fort Dussehra

Delhi’s Red Fort grounds turned the final day of Navratri into a filmi affair on October 20, 2026, as Yami Gautam Dhar and filmmaker Aanand L Rai joined Vice President C P Radhakrishnan for the Luv Kush Ramleela Committee’s Dussehra celebration. This year’s Vijayadashami event placed women’s dignity at the centre, and Yami was invited to represent the women of India on that stage.

Dussehra at the Red Fort has become one of Delhi’s most visible cultural stages, drawing top political and film names to the same ground. This year, the focus was not only the customary Ravan Dahan but the message attached to it.

A role that moved from screen to festival ground

Yami and Aanand L Rai took part in the ceremonial arrow-shooting ritual aimed at the Ravana effigy, a moment that carried an extra cultural echo. The National Award-winning actor had recently performed a Ravan Vadh sequence in her film Nayyi Navelli, so the symbolic victory of good over evil played out again—this time before thousands of spectators at an iconic Delhi landmark.

The festival committee did not see that link as accidental. This year’s theme, “Respect for Women,” was meant to underline that women embody courage, dignity and strength, and that they have an active part in standing against injustice.

What the organisers said

Arjun Kumar, president of the Luv Kush Ramleela Committee, described Yami’s presence as an important statement. He said the theme was designed to show that “women represent courage, dignity and strength,” and that Ravana stands for arrogance and social evils. Kumar added that Yami’s participation sent a strong message of women’s empowerment and their role in defeating evil.

The committee also thanked Aanand L Rai for attending, noting that the Red Fort Dussehra has long welcomed Bollywood. Past celebrity attendees have been a who’s-who of Hindi cinema:

• Akshay Kumar
• Ajay Devgn
• John Abraham
• Prabhas
• Kareena Kapoor
• Rohit Shetty

Why it matters for filmi fans

For Hindi film viewers, this is one of those occasions where a film’s imagery meets a living festival tradition. Nayyi Navelli, directed by Balaji Mohan, also stars Adinath Kothare, Anurag Thakur, Sunita Rajwar and Mita Vashisht. Watching Yami reprise the Ravan Vadh idea at the Red Fort gives the sequence a real-world context and turns the Dussehra appearance into a talking point for both the actor’s fans and the festival’s audience.

The evening kept the focus on a straightforward idea: stardom can amplify a social theme when it is used with intent. Yami did not simply make an appearance; she was positioned as the face of the event’s respect-for-women message.

Source: India Today