How did Ravan gain his immeasurable power?
How did he gain his name, Ravan, the cry that shakes the universe?
A cry, which once, was just a plea.
Descended from the brahmin Vishrava,
Ravan was well versed in all rituals, the vedas and Sanskrit.
He could have chosen the path of a holy man.
But Ravan's heart burned with a darker purpose.
His tapasya, his sufferings,
his millennia-long meditations were focused on a single, terrible goal.
Conquest.
Witnessing his devotion, the gods duly rewarded Ravan
with the gifts of weapons, armour and strength.
He demanded immortality also,
but Brahma denied that.
Instead, he offered Ravan another gift
Invulnerability against all divine beings.
And then Ravan used the multitude of blessings
against the gods who gave them to him.
So armed, he was unstoppable.
Ravan, so glorious, so full of nobility, cast all virtue aside in his lust for power,
betraying even his brother to take his kingdom of Lanka.
Reshaping it in his image.
Come out of your hiding place.
I can see you clearly.
My brother Vibheeshan.
I was not hiding. I came to advise you but ended up listening to you.
Remembering, what a great King and a great man my brother once was.
"Was"?
See, Akshay, how your uncle insults me with praise?
How should I respond?
By listening, Father.
Uncle Vibheeshan has nothing but love for you.
There is no one more noble and honourable in your kingdom.
Yes, I know my brother's virtues are praised across all the realms.
Come then, Vibheeshan, let me hear your wise advice.
You know my advice, Ravan. It concerns Ram's wife.
The woman you stole.
Careful, brother!
What happened to you?
You've built a glorious empire
and you throw it all away for another man's wife?
We were raised to follow the path of dharm, the wisdom of the vedas.
But what you've done--
The glory of Lanka was carved by war, Vibheeshan.
Not by prayers.
I'm begging you, brother. Turn back from this madness.
This woman, Princess Sita, she is not worth this.
Give her back to her husband. She means nothing to you.
She means everything!
Tell me, brother, what is the point
of all these worlds and all these kingdoms?
I would trade everything for Princess Sita
to look upon me just once with the same eyes
as when she speaks the name of Ram.
She will never be yours, Ravan.
Ram and Princess Sita will always be one.
It is impossible to separate them.
This obsession has corrupted you. This is a truth we all know.
Though none have the courage to tell you.
Courage? Is that what you think you have, brother?
You, who would have me crawl to Ram,
return his wife, touch his feet and beg for forgiveness?
You've always been ashamed of your own kind, Vibheeshan.
You would have us cast off our teeth and eat grass like sheep.
I would rather have Lanka burn,
sacrifice every one of my people upon the altar of war
than see a single rakshas kneel before a human.
Continue with this folly and you will get your wish, my King.
And you, Akshay? What say you, my son?
I... I would return Princess Sita to her husband.
Even you, son? Maybe you are more like your uncle than your father.
Perhaps it was too much to hope
that I would have more sons like Indrajit.
Indrajit understands we rakshasas were not born
to plough fields and dig the soil.
He understands we were born to make war, to conquer.
I should not need to explain this to any son of mine.
But, Father, you have conquered all there is.
All but Princess Sita's heart.
Perhaps I need to make her come to her senses more delicately.
Prepare my Pushpak Viman.
Does she need to come to her senses or do you?
You are my brother and my blood.
But remember, Vibheeshan,
I can shed your blood for disrespecting me.
Even my patience has limits.
Fancy a pet?
You take him.
Cage it and throw it in the river.
Come back here!
I am coming, Princess.
I loved her the moment I saw her, Hanuman.
It was as though I'd only half-existed before she appeared.
It is more than mere beauty.
That is not in short supply
when you are the prince of a great kingdom.
It is her strength that drew me to her, that made Sita my world.
And her heart is even more beautiful.
The only hardship I have suffered,
the only pain I have felt, is not having her beside me.
Find my Sita, Hanuman.
Find her.
The King! The King is coming!
But there was no announcement.
How can we be ready for him? There is no time.
Quickly, tell the others. Wonder who he has come to see.
Who do you think? That mortal. He is obsessed with her.
Why her? Who is she? A nobody and the wife of a vagabond in the forest.
Sita.
The King is here! Quick!
My Lord, we are honoured that you should visit us.
Come by the orchard! I shall prepare--
Where is Princess Sita?
You must be tired from your journey. Come, rest for a moment.
I won't ask again.
Princess Sita.
As you command, my Lord.
Princess Sita. Finally, I've found her.
My... my Lord, she refuses to come.
We tried, but the stubborn woman said she was not yours to command.
Bring her here! Drag her by her hair, if you must!
Wicked, ungrateful wretch! Beat her and make her obey!
Where is she?
By the pond, my Lord.
Look at him, humbled. She has bewitched the king.
What you say is true.
What sort of a woman is Sita?
I have never seen such vivid beauty.
Princess Sita.
Your presence has turned this garden into a paradise.
For me, this is a golden cage.
A cage? You are not my slave.
You are my guest for now and, hopefully, my queen in the near future.
You mean prisoner.
If there is any prisoner here, it is I.
Do you even know why you're here? Why I need you here?
To be another one of your conquests.
No, you're wrong. Yes, I have conquered the three realms.
I have got everything I ever desired.
Respect, prosperity, even worship.
Despite having everything, I feel nothing, just numbness.
The void still exists.
Then I pity you, Ravan.
You are like a child who always wants someone else's toy.
But you have changed me, Princess Sita.
The moment I saw you, my dead heart beat again.
I was lifeless but did not know it until I met you.
I will never submit to you, Ravan.
And I would never ask you to.
You could be a slave to no man, nor God.
I want you beside me as my wife. We can rule over the world together.
Look around you. The gardens, the palaces.
Do you not see the beauty we could make together?
All I see is ruin.
I see Ram.
The hunter.
His unerring aim.
As relentless as a storm.
As inescapable as karma.
Ram will come for me.
You have not harmed me, Ravan.
If you free me to return to my husband, all will be forgiven.
I know Ram would choose peace even now.
Even after all you have done.
Follow dharm. Become the great ruler again.
Do this and Ram will embrace you as a brother,
and you and your people will be saved.
The alternative is too terrible.
Your words wound me, Princess.
Men would shake at such grim prophecies. Lesser men.
The gods in heaven may fulfil your prophecy,
but they bow down to me.
Your old life is gone. Ram is gone.
You will have everything I have, everything I am.
How can you deny me?
My answer will always stay the same. No.
I deny you now and forever, Ravan.
Vibheeshan was wrong. He said we are too different.
But you are like me, Princess. Stubborn.
Perhaps I should give in to your stubbornness.
What do you mean? Will return me to him?
You miss my meaning. Remember what I said? I am your prisoner.
The thought of you with Ram would tear at my very soul.
While you live, I will forever be your prisoner.
What are you saying?
It is time for me to be free.