Raghav Juyal’s next role puts him inside one of Hindi cinema’s most ambitious epics. The performer who first became a household name on Dance India Dance has been cast as Meghnad, Ravana’s formidable son, in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana.
The announcement, highlighted by the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival, is more than a casting note. It marks a new phase in a career built by repeatedly challenging the first impression audiences had of Juyal.
The road from wildcard to screen actor
Juyal’s early fame came through an unconventional path. On Dance India Dance, his slow-motion dance style separated him from the competition-show crowd. Initially rejected, he returned as a wildcard after public demand and used the platform to build a national audience.
That recognition led to work as a choreographer, performer and host on shows such as Dance India Dance Li’l Masters and Dance Plus. Film appearances followed in ABCD 2, Nawabzaade, Street Dancer 3D and Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan. These roles made him familiar to moviegoers, but they did not immediately reposition him as a dramatic actor.
Kill changed the conversation
The decisive turn came with Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s Kill. As Fani, Juyal played a menacing, unpredictable antagonist whose stillness and darker presence stood in sharp contrast to his television image. The performance made restraint and physical control central to his screen identity.
It also showed how his background as a dancer could be redirected. The same command of movement and timing that made him a compelling performer became an asset for character acting, not a limit.
Why Meghnad matters
Meghnad, also known as Indrajit, is a central warrior figure in the Lanka section of the epic. The part asks an actor to project authority, skill and complexity within a well-known cultural frame.
For Juyal, it extends the evolution that began with Kill. A large-scale mythological production is a different challenge from a contemporary antagonist, and the casting suggests that Tiwari’s Ramayana is drawing on performers from varied backgrounds.
A career of deliberate transitions
- Reality television: rose through Dance India Dance as a wildcard entrant.
- Television and film: built visibility as a host and in dance-led films.
- Dramatic shift: reframed perceptions with Fani in Kill.
- Streaming and epic scale: moved through Gyaarah Gyaarah and Netflix’s The Ba***ds of Bollywood to Ramayana.
That sequence matters because it shows a first public identity does not have to become a permanent limitation. Juyal has moved from dancer to choreographer, host to film performer, and familiar entertainer to an actor trusted with more demanding dramatic material.
For audiences who follow Hindi cinema closely, the test will be in the performance. Meghnad is not merely a larger role; it asks Juyal to carry authority in a story where the audience already knows the character’s place. The casting is a statement of intent for both the actor and the production.
Source: Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival – DPIFF
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