National Award-winning actress Yami Gautam is set to bring a symbolic moment of womanhood to the Dussehra celebrations in the capital this year, as she performs the ceremonial Ravan Vadh at the famed Luv Kush Ramleela at Red Fort Ground on Tuesday. In front of thousands of spectators gathered at one of Delhi’s most storied festive stages, Gautam will loose the symbolic arrow at the effigy of Ravana, the act that marks the triumph of good over evil on Vijayadashami.
The honour places the actress in distinguished company. Over the years, the Luv Kush Ramleela — among the oldest and most watched Ramleela productions in the country — has hosted an impressive line-up of Bollywood personalities for its climactic ritual, including Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, John Abraham, Prabhas, Kareena Kapoor and Rohit Shetty. This year, however, the committee has given the moment a deliberate and resonant twist.
This year’s Ramleela theme is “Respect for Women”, and the organisers say the choice of Yami Gautam as the one to perform the Vadh was anything but incidental. Committee president Arjun Kumar said the actress was invited so that she can represent the women of Delhi and the entire nation, delivering a powerful message that women play an equally significant role in the victory of good over evil.
The symbolism runs deeper than a ceremonial gesture. Ravana, in the committee’s telling, is not merely the demon king of legend but stands for arrogance, injustice and the social evils that continue to afflict society. When a woman performs the symbolic Vadh, Kumar explained, the act sends a message of women’s empowerment, dignity and respect — a statement that the battle against injustice is fought by all of society, not just by its heroes of myth.
The timing of Gautam’s appearance carries a cinematic echo as well. She was recently seen performing a Ravan Vadh sequence in a scene from her latest film, ‘Nai Naveli’, making her Dussehra appearance feel like a natural extension of the role. For the thousands expected at the Red Fort grounds on Tuesday evening, the sight of a leading actress striking down Ravana is expected to lend the festival a fresh and contemporary resonance.
The Luv Kush Ramleela has, for decades, drawn enormous crowds to its sprawling grounds opposite the Red Fort, with its production values and star presence making it one of the flagship celebrations of Dussehra in north India. The Ravan Vadh — the moment the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnada go up in flames — is the emotional and visual climax of the ten-day spectacle, and the identity of the person who releases the arrow is always among the most anticipated announcements of the season.
For Gautam, the honour arrives at a high point in her career. The National Award recognition has cemented her standing as one of the most serious performers of her generation, and her association with a theme as weighty as “Respect for Women” is expected to add cultural significance to what is already one of the capital’s biggest festive gatherings.
As the effigies burn on Tuesday evening and the crowd roars at the symbolic victory, the organisers hope the image of a woman leading that triumph will linger long after the smoke clears — a reminder that the festival’s ancient message of good conquering evil carries a modern imperative too: that of dignity, equality and respect for women in every corner of society.
