Behind the fierce and all-powerful demon-king Ravana portrayal, lies a soft-spoken man who is devoted to his role.
I love playing Ravana,” says Banwari Lal Saini,who has been playing role of Ravana since the years 1980 at Jacomb Pura’s Durga Ramlila which has celebrated its 51st year of its existence. “Durga Ramlila started in Gurgaon in 1966. I played the role of Meghnath for three consecutive years, from 1977-79. And every since then, I have been playing Ravana’s role which has been life changing for me. Even my entry is not from the darbar, par main bahar se aata hoon. I love the hooting and whistling from the audience when I make an entrance. ”
A former-president of the Durga Ramlila committee, Saini has been playing the demon king of Lanka since 36 years. The 60-year-old is proud of his legacy and the passion with which he has played the role. He hopes that the lineage continues and the young generation shows same passion. “ Slowly and steadily the interest in watching Ramlila has gained momentum over the years. People come in huge numbers to watch Ramlila, the same as it was last 50 years. There is no place to sit when we enact the Sita Haran scene. The youth loves watching Ravana’s role on stage which gives me great happiness.The love and appreciation I have received from the audience over the years, has urged me to continue doing my role .Ab chahe hum rahe ya nah rahe, koi na koi toh sambhaalta rahega. We are looking for somebody younger to play the role now.”
Saini was a mere 23 years old when he started playing the king’s role. He still practices till the very last day even now. “Whenever I am on stage, I enact the role through my experience over the years. Several actors who played Ram, Sita, Laxman, Lord Hanuman were replaced during the course of time, but I loved playing the role of Raavan. Practice is very crucial and I ensure to take out time to practice every now and then. Ek saal mein dekhna padta hain ki awaaz bhaith gayi ya wahi ki wahi hai. But since I have been playing the role for some many years, bahut zyada practice ki zaroorat nahi padti. ”
{{/usCountry}}Saini was a mere 23 years old when he started playing the king’s role. He still practices till the very last day even now. “Whenever I am on stage, I enact the role through my experience over the years. Several actors who played Ram, Sita, Laxman, Lord Hanuman were replaced during the course of time, but I loved playing the role of Raavan. Practice is very crucial and I ensure to take out time to practice every now and then. Ek saal mein dekhna padta hain ki awaaz bhaith gayi ya wahi ki wahi hai. But since I have been playing the role for some many years, bahut zyada practice ki zaroorat nahi padti. ”
{{/usCountry}}When asked if he’s ever felt the need to constantly redefine and reinvent himself and how he copes with competition from other Ramlila committee’s of the city, Saini says, “The new generation is very tech-savvy and they want to introduce new innovative concepts every year. There are some animation effects to please the crowd.” But regardless of Ramlila progressing toward high end technology effects, Saini feels the essence of Ramlila shouldn’t be lost. “Leela zyaada modern hone se kharab ho jaati hai. The more it retains its essence, the better it is. Even the clothes I believe should be as authentic as possible. Puraani vesh bhoosha hogi, utna acha hoga.”