Rakul Preet Singh shares BTS photos from Ramayana sets, reveals Surpanakha prep: 'Proud as an Indian'

Four hours in the makeup chair, every single day. That’s what it took to turn Rakul Preet Singh into Surpanakha for Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana, and now that the film is finally in cinemas, the actor is giving credit to the people who made it happen.

A look behind the scenes

Rakul posted a set of behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram. One shows her mid-makeup on set, and another catches her in position, waiting for her cue before a take. Her performance as Ravana’s sister has been widely singled out as one of the film’s standout turns.

In her caption, she said she had been waiting a long time to finally talk about the project. She described being part of a story that Indians have grown up with for generations as rare and deeply meaningful, and said watching the epic come to life at such a scale made the experience even more special for her.

Gratitude for the makers and her team

She thanked producer Namit Malhotra and director Nitesh Tiwari, calling them the visionaries who dared to dream big. She said their ambition to take an Indian story to a global audience had inspired her throughout the shoot.

She saved special praise for her hair, makeup and costume teams. She said the appreciation for her look really belongs to them, since they spent hours every day getting her ready. She closed by saying the film felt like more than a movie to her, describing it as “a moment that makes me feel proud as an Indian.”

Surpanakha may not be the centre of the story, but she sets it in motion. After Lakshman, Rama’s brother, humiliates her, a chain of events follows. Ravana abducts Sita, and that leads to the war between Rama and Ravana.

Popular retellings have mostly cast Surpanakha as the villain whose actions started the epic’s central conflict, which has made her one of the Ramayana’s most misunderstood figures. Rakul has argued for a different reading for a while now. In an interview with news agency PTI before the release, she described the character as “a very misunderstood and layered character,” noting that it is her actions that eventually set off the war at the heart of the epic. She added that playing someone with so many different shades had been one of the most interesting parts of the role.

She came back to the idea in the run-up to release. When a fan praised her look in the trailer and asked why she took the part, Rakul said the character’s complexity was the main reason. Replying on X, she said Surpanakha deserves a wider perspective and that she hoped audiences would discover her story with an open mind. She has also said that the script gave her insight into parts of Surpanakha’s life that go beyond how she is usually shown.