Arun Govil, TV’s Ram, speaks about Ramayan’s learnings in the time of lockdown

Arun Govil said he has been inundated with calls after the government announced that Ramayan will be telecast during 21-day lockdown.

Nothing defines the craze of small screen in the 1980s better than Ramanand Sagar’s epochal Ramayan, which turned Arun Govil into a household name, with his portrayal of Lord Rama. And now, amid Covid-19 scare, public broadcaster Doordarshan is giving everyone a chance to dive into nostalgia with a re-telecast of old favourites, including this mythological saga.

Arun Govil speaks about Ramayan’s return to TV screens amid lockdown.

Govil, who is proud of his continued identity with the character of Lord Rama, has been inundated with calls ever since the news came out. He says, “The fact that it is coming in its entirety again is making us feel wonderful. It will make viewers feel happy. People have a lot of time at hand right now, and they can use it fruitfully to watch Ramayan, which can give them new learning.”

Lord Rama, he says, is deemed as ‘Maryada Purushottam’, and the takeaway for viewers here would be the importance of being righteous. “At this time, it is very important for us to abide by the rules. Our Prime Minister used two very important words — sanyam (patience) and sankalp (resolution) — which come under maryada.... So, don’t go out unnecessarily, follow the lockdown. We should spend our time with our families and keep the house clean,” says the 62-year-old.

He also believes that the re-telecast will bring the older and younger generation in homes together.

Recently, the lead cast of Ramayan — Govil, Deepika Chikhalia (Sita) and Sunil Lahiri (Lakshman) — reunited after over three decades for an appearance on a popular TV show. In hindsight, Govil quips that it turned out to be “like a curtain raiser unknowingly” for the return of Ramayan.