As Bhumi opened its arms to let Sita walk inside its ‘garbh’, Luv and Kush were strangled with pain. With tears choking their throat they questioned ‘Surya’ to who this Ram is bestowed by the word ‘Lord’. The one who entered the stage had the same syllable ‘Ra’ in his name. His mustache darted upwards as he carried ‘tripund’ on his forehead, the three horizontal lines often seen on ‘Shivling’. As the waves of music created a thunderstorm and the lights flickered, Surya said “To know more about Ram, you must know about Raavan.” You narrow your eyes to get a clearer glimpse of the stage just to find out Ashutosh Rane playing the role of Raavan. The journey of the love, ordeals, trials, and triumphs of Lord Ram and Sita leaves you hanging mid-air as you fasten your seat belts for a grand theatrical experience of ‘Humare Ram’ 

Read the full interview with Ashutosh Rana by Apeksha Priyadarshini here

Ashutosh Rana prepares to play Raavan in Humare Ram at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi. What could have been the psyche of Raavan?  A master of all four Vedasand a scholar of the six shastras: Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Sankhya, Yoga, Mimamsa, Vedanta and yet crucifying all knowledge. Running against or towards fate, a substantial dive in his verse becomes necessary as in the end of Laskman says at the end of the war “Demon-king, do not let your knowledge die with you. Share it with us and wash away your sins”

Ashutosh Rana prepares to play Raavan in Humare Ram at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi. How to paint  Raavan ? How to untangle the robust narratives of a preacher to abductor. Ravaan stays the one character immortal of all being burnt year after year just to live on the shelves of preachers. There are many who worship his wisdom and others who detest him for being the evil one. The king of Asur Kingdom dared not to touch Sita during her stay in Lanka. It is still contested whether it was lust or her sister’s deformation by Lakshman which led to abduction.

Actors Ashutosh Rana and Rahul Bhuchar share a laugh before going on stage to perform in Humare Ram at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi. While the final battle where draws to end the infamous exchange between Ram and Raavan  has been kept in dark where Raavan closed his eyes for a moment before starting to speak. Ram realised that the dying demon king had recalibrated the movements of the nine planets to slow down time and delay the moment of his passing. Raavan opened his eyes, smiled at his erstwhile opponent and slayer and called him a “worthy disciple” fit to carry his wisdom to the world.

Actors Ashutosh Rana and Rahul Bhuchar share a laugh before going on stage to perform in Humare Ram at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi. While Ravan’s Lanka was much ahead of its time laden with gold and vehicles like Pushpak to conquest with an army of monkeys what made them crouch? the Ramayana isn’t only a story about the victory of good over evil. The Ramayana is also a story of women who suffered at the hands of men. Like Sita, who was first taken away and then, asked by her husband to take a chastity test.

Ashutosh Rana prepares to play Raavan in Humare Ram at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi. Just as Raavan stood tall, his resistance forced the hand of destiny, unlocking Ram's divine purpose. How does one become the other who embodies evil? Does the actor empathise with the one who was vanquished and has been remembered as the enemy of god? If Ramayana is a story of Ram, it can’t be the story of Raavan, and those who have come on stage to enact the king who abducted Sita perhaps know that the legacy of Raavan extends more than what a stage or a performance can hold. There was wisdom in the one hailed as a demon king.

Ashutosh Rana plays Raavan in Humare Ram at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi. Even after being the villain of the story passed from generation to generation, one recurring factor no one could blanket is the devotional knot Ravaan had tied to Shivaa. It is ironic to raze the most revered devotee of the god of destruction, the god of preserver, Vishnu, had to step in as Ram.

Ashutosh Rana plays Raavan in Humare Ram at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi. Ram traversed from power to devotion and Raavan from devotion to power. When one looks at the whole narrative, one realises that there is both distribution of power and accumulation of power in it. While Raavan believed in conquering, Ram believed in setting free.

Actor Ashutosh Rana shares his insights in an interview with Outlook at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi. As an actor, all platforms are just mediums to transport one’s art. Both film and theatre require honesty in one's performance for  audience to enjoy your work. As an actor, one needs to be aware and all five senses must be alert to perform the truth of the moment. In theatre, one matches ones breathing pattern not just with co-actors, but also with the audience. Their pace of breathing must be synchronised with yours to save you from total doom (pralay).