One of the most striking moments in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana: Rise of a Legend comes during the fierce battle between Ravana (played by Yash) and Jatayu (voiced by Anupam Kher). The elderly vulture king, despite his age, puts up a formidable fight against the Lanka king as he tries to stop him from abducting Goddess Sita.

But it is not just the scale of the fight that has caught viewers' attention. It is what Ravana does towards the end of it.During the battle, Jatayu manages to behead Ravana with his sharp claw.

Ravana, who has the power to regenerate his head, soon recovers and launches a more vicious attack. He eventually cuts off one of Jatayu's wings, leaving the bird severely injured.

As Jatayu falls, Ravana breaks one of his nails and keeps it with himself.The small detail has prompted questions among viewers. Why would Ravana want to keep a nail of an opponent he has just defeated?

The answer could lie in his wounded pride.What does Jatayu's nail symbolise?Jatayu's fight with Ravana is significant because it shows that the bird is no ordinary opponent. Despite being old, he refuses to back down when he sees Sita being abducted.

He uses his beak, talons and powerful wings to attack Ravana and even manages to cut off his head. For Ravana, who is used to being feared and obeyed, being wounded by an ageing bird is a humiliation.

Breaking and keeping the very nail that caused the injury could be his way of holding on to a reminder of that moment. It may also be a way of asserting control over the opponent who managed to challenge him.The gesture can therefore be read as an expression of Ravana's ego.

Even after defeating Jatayu, he does not simply walk away from the encounter. He takes a part of the bird that had managed to hurt him, almost as if he wants to possess a reminder of the insult.

Did Ravana keep Jatayu's nail in the original Ramayana?There is an important distinction here. The scene in which Ravana breaks Jatayu's nail and keeps it is a creative addition in Tiwari's film.

It is not described in the original Valmiki Ramayana.In the Aranya Kanda, Jatayu tries to stop Ravana by reminding him that abducting another man's wife is wrong. When Ravana refuses to listen, the two engage in a fierce aerial battle.

Jatayu attacks Ravana, damages his chariot and kills his charioteer. He also manages to overpower the Lanka king for a while.However, Ravana eventually retaliates with his sword, cutting off Jatayu's wings and leaving him gravely wounded.

The bird falls to the ground, where he later meets Lord Rama and Lakshman and tells them what happened to Sita.The original account does not mention Ravana collecting Jatayu's nail as a keepsake. The film's addition gives the battle another layer, drawing attention to Ravana's pride and the humiliation of being challenged by someone he might have underestimated.Interestingly, Ravana's association with trophies of victory goes beyond this scene.

In the original Valmiki Ramayana, Ravana does not collect small keepsakes. Keeping Jatayu's nail as a trophy is a creative addition to Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana.

His conquests are often marked by what he takes from those he defeats. The Pushpak Vimana, for example, originally belonged to his half-brother Kubera, but Ravana seized it after defeating him.The Uttara Kanda also describes his conquest of the heavens and the celestial beings he held captive.

Even the scars on his chest, which the Valmiki Ramayana links to battles with Indra and his white elephant Airavata, serve as reminders of the powerful opponents he had fought. Against this backdrop, the nail in the film could be seen as a more personal keepsake – a reminder of the one moment when Jatayu managed to wound his pride.Why Jatayu's fight mattersJatayu's defeat does not make his fight any less significant.

He knows he is up against a powerful king, but still chooses to intervene when Sita needs help. His actions also buy her valuable time and help Rama learn about the abduction.In that sense, the nail detail makes for an interesting cinematic choice.

Ravana may win the physical battle, but Jatayu's courage leaves a mark on him, quite literally. The man who believes himself invincible is forced to confront the fact that even an ageing bird can hurt him.- Ends