Is Raavan relevant in films today?

Actors and filmmakers talk about what makes the enigmatic mythological character an inspiration for subjects in films and television shows even today.
Dussehra is the day when Ram killed Raavan epitomising the victory of good over evil. Interestingly, the multifaceted Raavan continues to be an inspiration for our filmmakers, Mani Ratnam’s Raavan and Anubhav Sinha’s RA.One being the recent instances.What is it about the mythological character that is so fascinating? Do his villainous ways hold relevance today? Here’s what the film industry folks have to say:

Gulshan Grover Actor Raavan had some extraordinary qualities, like not disrespecting a woman though he had kidnapped Sita, making him so fascinating to capture on screen even today. He was a staunch Shiva bhakt and had the magnanimity to wish victory to his opponent. This makes him an enigmatic and the ultimate villain.

Anubhav Sinha Filmmaker A line in RA.One said, ‘Raavan never dies and this is why we have to kill him every year’. The hero always does the right thing, so it is the villain who is fascinating because he is versatile, unpredicatable and mean. Ram wouldn’t be known as Maryada Purushottam had Raavan not been there.
Santosh Sivan Filmmaker The personality of Raavan is akin to two sides of a coin. One is evil and the other, a scholar who is worshipped. It is this aspect that makes him fascinating. Also, the symbolic 10 heads representing different thought processes makes him enigmatic, even to international diaspora.

Shakti Kapoor Actor Though Raavan continues to be the symbol of evil in society, I feel otherwise. He was a scholar with principles. I would compare him to my character Crime Master Gogo (Andaz Apna Apna) — interesting and also entertaining. My roles in Ravan Raaj (1995) and Aaj Ka Ravan (2000) have also been compared to Raavan.

Sneha Wagh Actor The joy of burning Raavan is a reminder that the victory of Ram is the victory of good over evil and light over darkness. It is part of our belief system and values. No person is 100% good or bad, but we like to believe and want to be totally good, just like Ram. That is fascinating even today.
Manish Gupta Filmmaker Is Raavan relevant even today? I don’t think so because today, we have far more evil people like rapists and terrorists in society, who don’t think twice before harming innocent people. Compared to that, Raavan was saintly and followed a certain code of conduct even when he kidnapped Sita.
Saurabh Raaj Jain Actor Besides the mythological story, there are historical and scientific evidences that fascinate everybody till today. Inspite of being an intellectual, he tried to avenge his sister’s humiliation by kidnapping a married woman. His character has many facets, some of which are revelant even today.
Jaswir Kaur Actor No one is perfect, and that is what Raavan’s story is all about. Raavan was a follower of Shiva and a great scholar, but he also used his powers for the wrong things. His imperfection makes him relevant even today. Everyone identifies with Raavan and Ram because both co-exist deep within us.

Mrunal Jain Actor Filmmakers love to make films and serials on Raavan because he is both good and bad. As humans, we can relate to that because we are capable of being good and evil, and Ram defeating Raavan is not only interesting, but a symbolic win of good over evil.