TV's Rama Arun Govil has full faith in 'sanskari bacha' Ranbir Kapoor's Lord Rama portrayal in Ramayana: He is excellent

Arun Govil, who famously played Lord Rama in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan, says he has full faith in Ranbir Kapoor's portrayal of the deity.

The first look at Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana was unveiled last week. Many praised the actor’s calm demeanour and regal look as the iconic deity, but there were others who weren’t convinced by his take on the role. Now, Ranbir has received support for his portrayal from an actor who is the authority on Lord Rama - Arun Govil. The veteran actor, who played Lord Rama in Ramanand Sagar’s TV show, has shared his two cents on Ranbir.

Arun Govil, TV's original Lord Rama, says he has faith in Ranbir Kapoor.

Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana is a two-part film starring Ranbir as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana. Arun Govil, who became a national icon with his portrayal of Lord Rama over three decades ago, is also in the film, playing King Dashrath this time.

Arun Govil on Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama

Talking about Ranbir’s portrayal as Lord Rama, the veteran actor told Jagran, “Jahan tak Ranbir ki baat hai, to mera maanna hai ki woh ek behtareen actor hain. Woh bahut mehnat karte hain. Asal me woh bahut hi sanskari bache hain, maine kayi baar notice kiya hai. Isliye mujhe poora bharosa hai ki woh apna best dene ki poori koshish karenge (When it comes to Ranbir, I believe he is an excellent actor. He works really hard. The truth is that I have noticed he is a very cultured boy. That’s why I have full faith that he will do his best).”

Arun Govil played Lord Rama in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, which aired on Doordarshan from 1987-88, and remains India’s most-watched TV series. The cultural footprint of the show is so immense that Arun Govil and Dipika Chikhlia (who played Sita) were worshipped by viewers.

Earlier, in an interaction with Hindustan Times, actor Sujay Reu, who played Rama in Shrimad Ramayan, also praised Ranbir, but cautioned viewers against comparisons. “Don’t try to keep anyone in mind. I know it’s very difficult because even when I was doing Shrimad Ramayana, there was a comparison with Arun Govil ji. How can you compare anyone with him, because he is the poster boy Rama. It’s impossible to match up to his level,” he told us.

All about Ramayana

Ramayana is a two-part film mounted on a massive budget of ₹4000 crore, making it the most expensive Indian film ever made, and one of the costliest film productions worldwide. The film also stars Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman, and Ravie Dubey as Lakhsman. Produced by Namit Malhotra, Ramayana Part One is slated to release in theatres in October 2026, with the second part arriving in 2027.