Actor Arun Govil, known for playing Lord Ram in Ramayan TV series, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday. Govil joined the party at its office in Delhi in the presence of Arun Singh.
He joined the BJP just ahead of the assembly elections in four states and the union territory of Puducherry.
The 63-year-old said he was not inclined to enter politics earlier in his life, but the "work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi" has changed his perception of politics.
He said that the "objection" raised to the 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was "the immediate trigger" for him to take the political plunge.
He also said 'Jai Shri Ram' is not just a mere slogan but our lifestyle and "sanskar".
Brought up in the cantonment town of Meerut, Govil, the son of a waterworks engineer, studied in a number of schools across Saharanpur and Shahjahanpur. After school, he enrolled for a BSc at Meerut and completed it from Mathura.
Before he essayed the role of Ram, Govil tasted success on the big screen with in his debut film Paheli (1977) from the house of Barjatyas of Rajshri Productions.
{{/usCountry}}Before he essayed the role of Ram, Govil tasted success on the big screen with in his debut film Paheli (1977) from the house of Barjatyas of Rajshri Productions.
{{/usCountry}}According to reports, Ramayan found a place in the Limca Book of Records because of its historic viewership, back in the day. The show held the record for the World’s Most Viewed Mythological TV Series until 2003.
After Ramayan, Govil continued to work in television, appearing in a bunch of mythological serials such as Luv Kush, played Harishchandra in TV series Vishwamitra and Buddha in a serial of the same name.
He has also worked in a number of Bhojpuri, Braj Bhasha, Odia and Telugu films.