'I'm In Ramayana!': What Sargun Mehta Told Ravi Dubey After Hearing Mangal Rang

For Ravi Dubey, one of the most special moments surrounding Ramayana has come from an unexpected musical tribute, one that also has a rather personal connection. The actor, who plays Lakshman in Nitesh Tiwari's ambitious epic, told NDTV in an exclusive interview how poet and lyricist Kumar Vishwas incorporated his wife Sargun Mehta's name into the lyrics of Mangal Rang. And as Ravi reveals, the gesture was as heartwarming as it gets.

Recalling the moment, Ravi said, "It was such a sweet thing for Kumar ji to do. We were at a theatre and got to meet the audience during the interval. They'd just seen the first half, and to be there with them and feel that response in real time was incredibly heartening. That's where Kumar ji brought it up."

But there was also a personal message that made the gesture even more memorable. Kumar Vishwas had sent Ravi a WhatsApp message saying, "Bahu rani ko bata dena ki tumhare bhai ne tumhari or se uske liye gaana likh diya hai." (Tell your wife that your brother has written a song for her on your behalf.)

Ravi says, "That's something I'll always cherish."

Interestingly, Ravi himself had no idea about the musical surprise when the song first came out. It was Sargun who brought it to his attention. "When the song came out, Sargun came running to me and said, 'Ravi, I'm in your film!' I hadn't heard it yet, so I had no idea what she meant. Then I heard her name in the opening lines and it brought the biggest smile to my face. That was really special to me," he recalled.

The love story behind this little musical moment is just as special. Ravi Dubey and Sargun Mehta's relationship spans over a decade. The two first met in 2009 on the sets of the television show 12/24 Karol Bagh, where they played an on-screen married couple. Their reel-life pairing soon turned into a real-life romance. After dating privately for a few months, Ravi made a grand romantic gesture in 2012 when he proposed to Sargun on the dance reality show Nach Baliye 5, secretly flying in her parents for the occasion. The couple tied the knot on December 7, 2013, and have since remained one of television's much-loved couples.

Meanwhile, Ravi is also soaking in the appreciation coming his way for his portrayal of Lakshman in Ramayana. The actor says the audience response has left him overwhelmed, particularly because he has spent 25 years in the entertainment industry working towards a moment like this.

"I'm seeing the love that's reaching the film and Lakshman, and my heart is full of gratitude. For anyone who creates something, there's a very simple joy in knowing that people have seen your work and that it's meant something to them. This feels like a pat on the back. I'm reading the comments, watching the edits, seeing the stories. I don't want to miss a second of it," he said.

Giving credit to the film's writing and director Nitesh Tiwari's vision for Lakshman's character, Ravi added that the humour audiences have particularly enjoyed was already part of the screenplay. "In all honesty, everything you see was already in the screenplay and the dialogue. My approach to this film was one of surrender. The humour was entirely Nitesh sir's idea. I remember reading it for the first time and finding it so refreshing because it was subtle and gentle."

He also credited Nitesh Tiwari, Namit Malhotra, and Sridhar Raghavan for giving Lakshman the agency to emerge as a character audiences could connect with. Ravi further acknowledged the warmth of his co-stars, including Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash, saying their generosity made working on a film of such scale far less daunting.

For Ravi, then, Ramayana has brought professional appreciation, while Mangal Rang has delivered a rather personal reminder of love, friendship and a wife who found herself unexpectedly becoming part of her husband's film.

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