Arun Govil, Who Played Ram In Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan, Says His Career 'Came To Standstill' After The Show

Arun Govil as Ram in Ramayan. (Image courtesy: old_indian_television_series)

Actor Arun Govil, who played Ram in Ramanand Sagar's magnum opus - a TV adaptation of Ramayan which ran on Doordarshan from 1987 to 1988, revealed that his career "came to a standstill" after the show because producers didn't find him suitable for "commercial movies." The 62-year-old actor, in an interview to The Times Of India, revealed that for the last 14 years, he "hasn't done anything except making a few special appearances." Arun told the publication: "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" and added: "I have not given up on acting completely but I will do something only if it is good."

Speaking about his career post the epic show, Arun Govil said that after playing Ram, whenever he tried to return to Bollywood or do something different, people rejected him. "I had started my career as a Hindi film hero and post Ramayan, when I wanted to return to Bollywood, the producers said, 'Your image as Ram is so strong, we cannot cast you as anyone else or give you a supporting role.' They felt that I was not suited for commercial movies anymore," said the actor.

He added: "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'."

Ramayan, written, produced and directed by Ramanand Sagar, was a television mega-event, which introduced the concept of Hindu epics in the golden age of Doordarshan. The show featured Arun Govil as Ram/Vishnu, Deepika Chikhalia as Sita/Lakshmi and Sunil Lahri as Lakshman among others. Some popular Bollywood and television names were also included in massive line-up such as Lalita Pawar as Manthra and Dara Singh as Hanuman.

Other than Ramayan, Arun Govil has featured in several Hindi, Bhojpuri, Oriya and Telugu films such as Paheli, Judaai, Edu Kondalaswamy, Buk Bhara Bhalobasha and Muqabla to name a few. He has also worked in a number of television shows, including Sanjhi, Antaraal, Antariksh and Ehsaas - Kahani Ek Ghar Ki.