 Vikram then featured in Mani Ratnam 's bilingual films Raavanan and Raavan , inspired by the ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana , with Vikram featuring as the tribal leader , Veeraiya , in the Tamil version and the cop , Dev Pratap Sharma , in the Hindi version of the films which were shot simultaneously . Vikram revealed that changes between the two characters during filming took up to 45 minutes , with Abhishek Bachchan playing the tribal leader in the Hindi version whilst Prithviraj played the cop in the Tamil version , with Aishwarya Rai also in the cast . Vikram was initially apprehensive because both roles were to be shot almost simultaneously but revealed he succeeded by showing differences in his body language and expressions . Vikram revealed that he and Abhishek Bachchan played the roles in the respective versions without inspiration from one another . Despite being a non @-@ speaker and making his debut in Hindi , he dubbed his lines in the language remarking jovially it was the " most difficult thing in the world " . After promotions at the Cannes Film Festival and a premiere at Leicester Square in London , the two versions and the dubbed Telugu version released simultaneously in 2 @,@ 200 screens worldwide and took a big opening on day one earning 20 crores . The Tamil version , Raavanan won rave reviews from critics with The Hindu calling it a " masterstroke " and claiming Vikram " raises the bar higher with every venture " . The critic cited that " emotions of love , animus , anguish and joy dance on his face in quick succession " , concluding that " Vikram lifts the role to an admirable level " . The critic from Sify labelled it as a " astonishing portrayal " , while the critic from the Hindustan Times praised Vikram 's " ability to get into Veeraiya ’ s skin and emote with conviction " . The Tamil version consequently went on to become a commercial success , with Vikram 's performance leading to him winning the Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor among other accolades . In contrast , the Hindi version fetched mixed reviews with critics agreeing that Vikram 's performance as the tribal leader was more convincing than Bachchan 's . Baradwaj Rangan , writing for The New Indian Express rated the film 4 / 5 and said " Raavan falls for Sita ( and vice versa ) in an intriguingly idiosyncratic take on the Ramayana – if you can get past the lead performances , that is " whereas Taran Adarsh , writing for Bollywood Hungama rated it 1 @.@ 5 / 5 and said , " On the whole , Raavan is a king @-@ sized disappointment , in terms of content " though mentioning that Vikram was " first @-@ rate , although the role isn 't substantial enough " . Raavan subsequently went on to become a surprise flop at the Indian box office . The film was also screened at the Venice Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival , with Vikram in attendance . 
