Arun Govil Talks About Career After Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan, Says Didn't Get Roles For 14 Years

For most of us who grew up in India in the late '80s, Sunday mornings were all about friends, family and neighbours coming together to watch Ramayana on Doordarshan. The show was one of the most viewed TV shows in entertainment history.

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The man who defined our Sunday mornings was Ramanand Sagar who directed the show that went on to become a national classic.

But have you ever wondered what the actors who essayed different roles on the show are up to now?

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Actor Arun Govil, who found a special place in the hearts of the audiences by playing the role of Lord Ram on the hit TV show, says his career came to a standstill once the show got over because the producers didn't want to cast him in any other role.

"For the last 14 years, I have not done anything, except maybe make a few special appearances," he says.

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"I had started my career as a Hindi film hero and post Ramayan, when I wanted to return to Bollywood, producers said, ¡®Your image as Ram is so strong we cannot cast you as anyone else or give you a supporting role," he told The Time Of India as per IANS.

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He said that he felt a lot of disappointed.

"They felt that I was not suited for commercial movies anymore. That became the biggest minus point of my career, and I realised that I could never return to showbiz the way I wanted to. I took up a few TV shows, but every time I did something, people rejected me saying, ¡®Arre, Ramji kya kar rahe hain (Hey! What is Lord Ram doing here)," he said.

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Ramayan ran for 78 weeks on Doordarshan. It aired during 1987-1988 on Doordarshan, in mid-90's on ZeeTV and in 2000's on Star Plus and Star Utsav.

¡°On one hand, a single show had earned me immense love and admiration, but on the other, my career came to a standstill. I worked for a few more years before putting a full stop to my career in showbiz. For the last 14 years, I have not done anything, except maybe make a few special appearances,¡± he said.

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Years later, Arun Govil says that he hasn't given up on acting completely.

¡°I will do something only if it is good,¡± he said.

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Going down the memory lane, Arun Govil remembers that he wasn't the first choice to play the role of Ram.

¡°I remember, after the audition for Ramayan, I had requested Sagar sir for Ram¡¯s role, but they had already chosen someone else. They asked me if I was ready to play Lakshman or Bharat, but I declined. Then suddenly, one day, they told me that I was playing Ram. If you are sure about yourself and what you want, you will succeed.¡±

It's strange that once a popular actor who became a household name in '80s because of a show has struggled in his career post that.