- By Ridhi Suri
- Sun, 25 Feb 2024 08:11 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan that originally aired from 1987 to 1988, stands as one of the most esteemed adaptations of the Hindu epic Ramayana. It garnered immense popularity across India and holds the record for being the most-watched TV serial in television history. It played a pivotal role in reigniting interest in Hindu mythology and culture among viewers. The cast included Arun Govil as Lord Rama, Deepika Chikhalia as Sita, Sunil Lahri as Lakshmana, and Arvind Trivedi as Ravana, among others. Seems like it is being remade.
The makers of Ramayan, are once again seeking a new actor to portray Ram for another rendition of the epic tale. Prem Sagar have already initiated the quest for a fresh face for their upcoming show, which will be aired on Doordarshan. Talking to ETimes, Prem said, "It is Ramayan. But it is not the Ramayan of Papaji because that can never be done. That is iconic. To make something like this would be a foolish attempt. That's a classic. Just like Valmiki, Tulsi, and Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan. We cannot ace that. But there are different kind of subjects. You can do Ramayan through Sita’s point of view. You can do Ramayan through Hanuman’s point of view. You can do Ramayan through Ram's biggest bhakt Kakhbushundi."
"So, we are planning that. It would be a challenging job to create half crow, half human. So, we are planning to do a different kind of Ramayan. For example, when Ravan dies, we cut to a tandav of Shurpanakha. She dances and laughs saying her brother has died. Even the audience is shocked. Because very few people know that Ravan had killed Shurpanakha’s husband. So, this will be a revelation for them. Ramayan has all Navrasas," he added.
He further revealed that he is searching for a new Ram for this Ramayan. "Right now, we are searching for Ram. Arun Govil has already lived as Ram. So, we can’t cast him. Other than that, we are composing music. I have written lyrics of two songs. I thought of its title track at 3 o’clock in the night. The song will talk about Ram’s idealism and how he performed all his duties. We will highlight all his qualities. He believed in giving salvation. So, we will correlate Ramayan to all these kinds of things and bring the idealness of Ram and the tenements of Ramayan and untold kinds of stories. But right now our problem is finding Ram."
Ranbir Kapoor As Ram?
Talking about featuring Ranbir Kapoor as Ram, Prem Sagar expressed, "A fresh face is preferable because we don't want any image to go with Ram. If Ranbir Kapoor becomes Ram, people will see Ranbir also in Ram.
As a filmmaker, we want people to think, eat, drink, sleep only Ram. They should not think of Ram as anything else. In the case of Arun Govil, it was calculatedly done, though I had taken Arun in Vikram Betal. But when he came as Ram, nobody knew. Similarly, when we made Krishna, we didn't repeat Arun Govil because he's Ram. We brought S. D. Banerjee to play Krishna which is again an iconic hit."
