Before Ramayan, 59-year-old appeared in Vikram aur Betaal and Dada-Dadi Ki Kahaniyan, but failed to create a buzz.
He was so convincing as Ram’s brother, that even after 33 years, he couldn’t break that image. Sunil, who played Laxman, remained Laxman for the rest of his life. He made his social media debut last month and got #Raavanontwitter trending for days. He also worked in a couple of Hindi movies like Trimurti, Paraya Dhan, and Jangal Mein Mangal. Other than social and mythological dramas, Arvind had a prolific career in Gujarati cinema. Remember a video of him watching the 'Sita apaharan' scene that went viral a few days ago? In the video, the 81-year-old actor got emotional and apologised to the audience for kidnapping Sita. However, the actress didn’t get much recognition in cinema and is still fondly remembered as Sita from Ramayan. Other than this, the actor-turned-politician was also seen in a Bengali hit, Asha O Bhalobasha opposite Prosenjit Chatterjee. She also delivered three big hits with Rajesh Khanna- Rupaye Dus Karod, Ghar Ka Chiraag, and Khudai. Remember, “Deepika Ji, aaiye aaiye?” and her parkhi nazar? The 55-year-old has worked in almost every regional cinema. Apart from playing Sita, her most famous appearance was in an iconic Nirma super ad. The 61-year-old actor also worked in daily soaps but he himself admits, “What Ram's role in Ramayan gave me, don't think 100 Bollywood films could have ever given.” Arun is quite active on social media now and enjoys interacting with young fans watching the show.ĭid anyone notice Dipika in Bala, where she played Yami Gautam’s onscreen mother? Well, it was a blink and miss role. He essayed the role with so much conviction that despite working extensively in Bollywood and regional cinema, fans can’t stop raving about him as Ram. Undoubtedly the best onscreen Ram ever, period.
Here’s what the lead actors look like now. Not just that, it’s also set for yet another rerun on popular demand.
#OLD RAMAYAN RAMANAND SAGAR TV#
While all these 33 years, most of us had no clue what the actors were up to, the show has broken the world record to become the highest viewed TV programme globally. The mythological drama has dominated the headlines almost every day over the past month, and viewers have gone gaga over these iconic characters on social media. Thanks to the rerun during the lockdown, Arun Govil, Dipika Chikhlia, and Sunil Lahri have returned to the limelight. Streets would be deserted on Sunday mornings as people stayed glued to their television sets as Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan described the tale of Lord Ram in vivid detail.Not many of us knew who played Ram, Sita, and Laxman in Ramanand Sagar's decades-old epic Ramayan. The divine tale of how good triumphs over evil gladdened hearts of every viewer. Ramayan created waves across the world with its soulful narrative. Going forward, Ramanand Sagar ensured that this vision turned into reality and the rest is history! In 1976, noted film producer, Mr Mohla, on observing Ramanand’s astrological chart, had said that Ramanand Sagar would cause a spiritual awakening globally through the medium of cinema. In 1942, when Ramanand was 25 years old a Kashmiri mystic, Pandit Nityanandji had predicted that Ramayan would be retold by Ramanand Sagar. There is an interesting story that has been shared by Ramanand Sagar’s son Prem Sagar in the book that he has written on his father’s life – An Epic Life: Ramanand Sagar: From Barsaat to Ramayan. Not many people are aware that the show’s maker Ramanand Sagar was destined to make this mythological saga into a classic rendition for television. It also starred veteran actors Lalita Pawar as Manthara, Arvind Trivedi as Ravana and Dara Singh as Hanuman. The show boasts of a talented ensemble comprising of Arun Govil as Lord Rama, Dipika Chikhlia Topiwala as Goddess Sita and Sunil Lahri as Lakshman. Written, produced and directed by Ramanand Sagar, “Ramayan”, first aired in 1987 and acquired a cult status over the years. StarPlus, the country’s leading general entertainment channel StarPlus is entertaining viewers with the legendary show – Ramayan.