Ramayana Part 1: Chetan Hansraj reveals 4-hour daily makeup for Raja Mali
Synopsis
Chetan Hansraj's Raja Mali took four hours of daily prosthetic work to build — and that was just the face. With Terry Notary mapping demon-king movement, Ian Van Temperley choreographing merciless axe swings, and Andrew Doucette turning capture data into record-scale VFX, the behind-the-scenes reveal underscores just how ambitious Nitesh Tiwari's ₹1,500 crore Ramayana: Part 1 truly is.
Key Takeaways
Actor Chetan Hansraj spent four hours daily in makeup to become Raja Mali in Ramayana: Part 1 .
Makeup artist Virginia Holmes and her team sculpted the character's prosthetic look each shoot day.
Movement director Terry Notary worked with Hansraj to develop the physical psychology of the demon king role.
Stunt coordinator Ian Van Temperley designed the character's action sequences, including axe-combat choreography.
Animation supervisor Andrew Doucette converted performance-capture data into what Hansraj called India's most groundbreaking VFX.
The film, directed by Nitesh Tiwari , carries a reported budget of ₹1,500 crore and is the first of two planned parts.
Actor Chetan Hansraj has pulled back the curtain on the painstaking behind-the-scenes effort that went into shaping his character Raja Mali in the upcoming epic Ramayana: Part 1, revealing that makeup artist Virginia Holmes and her team spent four gruelling hours every day sculpting the ancient, battle-worn visage of the demon king onto his face. The actor shared his experience through a detailed Instagram post, offering fans a rare look at the scale and craft behind one of Indian cinema's most ambitious productions.
The Makeup Marathon Behind Raja Mali
Hansraj credited Holmes and her team for the elaborate transformation that preceded every shoot day. 'Before I even stepped onto the Volume, the brilliant Virginia Holmes and her team spent 4 grueling hours every day meticulously sculpting the ancient, brutal visage of Raja Mali onto my face,' he wrote. The process involved prosthetics and detailed facial work designed to give the character an otherworldly, primal menace consistent with the film's tone.
Movement, Stunts and the Physics of a Demon King
The physical demands of the role were equally intensive. Hansraj worked closely with renowned action director, motion capture specialist, and movement director Terry Notary to map out the precise physicality of Raja Mali. 'We spent hours breaking down the exact physics and psychology of a demon king so that every single movement felt lethal,' the actor noted. Stunt coordinator Ian Van Temperley and his team were responsible for choreographing the character's action sequences, ensuring, in Hansraj's words, that 'every swing of the axe was merciless.'
VFX and Performance Capture at Scale
Animation supervisor Andrew Doucette rounded out the core creative team acknowledged by Hansraj, translating raw performance-capture data into what the actor described as 'the most groundbreaking VFX Indian cinema has ever seen.' The film was shot extensively on a Volume stage — a large LED-screen environment used for real-time virtual production — underlining the technological ambition of the project.
About Ramayana: Part 1
Ramayana: Part 1 is directed by Nitesh Tiwari and is rooted in the Sanskrit epic by Valmiki. The first instalment covers the opening three kāṇḍas of the Ramayana, tracing the life of Prince Rama from childhood through his 14-year exile. Hansraj described the production as a 'colossal ₹1,500 crore ship' steered by Tiwari, calling it a 'historic cinematic undertaking.' A second part is also planned. With its scale, international technical crew, and performance-capture-led production pipeline, the film is positioning itself as a landmark moment for Indian big-screen storytelling.
Point of View
But it reveals something strategically important: Ramayana: Part 1 is being built with a genuinely international technical backbone — Terry Notary, known for his work on Hollywood tentpoles, and a Volume-based shoot signal that this is not a conventional Bollywood mythological. At ₹1,500 crore, the pressure to deliver a visual spectacle that justifies the ticket price is immense. The real question is whether the narrative craft matches the production muscle — Indian audiences have seen VFX ambition outpace storytelling before, and a mythological of this cultural weight will be held to a higher standard than a franchise origin story.
NationPress
11 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Chetan Hansraj playing in Ramayana: Part 1?
Chetan Hansraj plays Raja Mali, a demon king character, in Ramayana: Part 1. The role required four hours of daily prosthetic makeup applied by artist Virginia Holmes and her team.
What is the budget of Ramayana: Part 1?
Ramayana: Part 1 reportedly carries a budget of ₹1,500 crore, as referenced by Chetan Hansraj in his Instagram post. Director Nitesh Tiwari is at the helm of the project.
Who directed Ramayana: Part 1?
Ramayana: Part 1 is directed by Nitesh Tiwari. The film is based on Valmiki's Sanskrit epic and covers the first three kāṇḍas, from Prince Rama's childhood to his 14-year exile.
What technology was used to produce Ramayana: Part 1?
The film was shot on a Volume stage — a large LED-screen virtual production environment — alongside motion capture technology. Animation supervisor Andrew Doucette converted the performance-capture data into VFX for the final film.
Who were the key crew members behind Chetan Hansraj's Raja Mali performance?
The key contributors included makeup artist Virginia Holmes (prosthetics), Terry Notary (action direction, motion capture and movement), Ian Van Temperley (stunt coordination), and Andrew Doucette (animation supervision and VFX).
