Ramayana's Kumbhakarna used Mark Ruffalo's Hulk as reference, reveals Faisal Malik: 'He's massive'
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
We have seen giants on screen in The Lord of the Rings and other fantasy franchises. Over the last two decades, Hulk has come to define brute strength on the big screen, with Mark Ruffalo ’s portrayal of the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe becoming widely lauded. In fact, such is the reverence for the character that star Faisal Malik based his portrayal of the asura Kumbhakarna in Ramayana on him.
Adding to this, Faisal Malik (right) says his Kumbhakarna uses Mark Ruffalo's Hulk as a reference. Faisal Malik on Kumbhakaran In a recent interview with Variety India, Faisal Malik opened up on playing Kumbhakarna in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana. The trailers of the movie have given a good glimpse at the gigantic size of the asura and Ravana’s brother. In the epic, Kumbhakarna is described as 600 bows in height, which could imply a height of 1800-2400 feet. Talking about transforming into the behemoth, Faisal shared, “We have all seen the Hulk and how Mark Ruffalo becomes the big green guy. That is a reference for me when I started imagining how I would look.”
Meanwhile, Best known for playing Prahlad Cha in Panchayat, Faisal has also appeared in small parts in films such as Gangs of Wasseypur. Ramayana’s Kumbhakarna is his highest-profile role yet. Talking about the experience, he added, “My experience of playing Kumbhakarna in Ramayana is a dream come true. We grew up watching Ramayana, so playing a character from it feels like sheer luck. The challenge here is that this world is completely different for me. He isn't a normal human; he's massive, and he was in a deep sleep for six months. To keep all of that in mind and derive a final output is a tricky part.”
Notably, Nalin Dave played Kumbhakarna in Ramanand Sagar’s 1987 TV series, Ramayan. It is considered one of the most defining portrayals of the character.
As per the latest buzz, Produced by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios in collaboration with DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, Ramayana is planned as a two-part movie. The movie stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman. The first part is scheduled for worldwide rollout on November 5, 2026, while the second part is set for Diwali 2027. The films will rollout in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam across India.
In further updates, Sony Pictures will handle global distribution, excluding India, while Dharma Productions will distribute the movie in the Hindi-speaking market. The movie is also planned for a worldwide IMAX rollout.
On top of that, Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Movie Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world. Read More
Source: Hindustan Times