During the auspicious Brahma Muhurat today, the makers of the upcoming movie Ramayana finally released the first full trailer of the two-part epic, giving audiences their biggest look yet at Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana.Part 1 is set to arrive in theatres on Diwali 2026, with Part 2 following in 2027. But while Ramayana revolves around Lord Rama and Demon King Ravana’s central rivalry, the epic is full of less-told relationships that actually laid the roots of the battle and also influenced what happened. One of the most fascinating is the bond between Ravana and his sister Surpanakha and how an incident with her began it all.Here are some interesting facts about the brother-sister relationship that Surpanakha and Ravana shared with each other.
Her real name was Meenakshi, not Surpanakha
Long before she became known by the fearsome name Surpanakha, Ravana’s sister was born as the youngest child of Sage Vishrava and Kaikesi. According to Hindu mythology, she was originally named “Meenakshi,” meaning fish-eyed, which she got for her beautiful fish shaped eyes.
She secretly married a sworn enemy of her family
Surpanakha fell for Vidyutjihva, a Danava prince of the Kalkeya clan, and married him without her family’s approval. Rakshasas and Danavas were mortal enemies, so her marriage deeply angered Ravana. He initially wanted to punish her for the alliance but held back, at least for a while, out of respect for her wishes and the intervention of those close to him.
Ravana killed her husband, and she never forgave him
The marriage ended in tragedy when Ravana killed Vidyutjihva himself. There are varied versions of the legend, some describe it as self-defence after Vidyutjihva turned on him, while other versions suggest Vidyutjihva had been “sowing seeds of doubt about Ravana’s rule” among fellow Rakshasas. Whatever the cause, Surpanakha was left a grieving widow, and she never forgave her brother for it.
Mandodari stepped in to save her life
Furious over her sister’s defiance in marrying an enemy clan member, Ravana wanted to punish, even execute, Surpanakha. But it was “only because of Mandodari’s recommendation that she could finally marry him” in the first place, and Mandodari’s intervention, along with support from Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana, is regarded as the reason why Ravana spared Surpanakha’s life during his rage.
She was the reason why the Ramayana war began
Surpanakha’s encounter with Rama in the forest wasn’t accidental at all. Surpanakha was the leading cause of the Ramayana War, after she asked for Lord Rama’s hand; when he refused, she asked Lord Lakshmana, and he refused too. And after Lakshmana disfigured her, she first sought military revenge from her brother Khara before his army was destroyed, and only then approached Ravana, painting an alluring picture of Sita to trigger the fatal abduction that ultimately brought down Lanka.