While people continue to be locked inside their homes due to lockdown imposed across the country in the wake of coronavirus pandemic outbreak, re-telecast of the famous TV serial of 80s Ramayana is not only taking a lot of people down memory lane but also making the new generation aware about the religious epic.
Arun Govil, who played the protagonist Ram in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana on the small screen, left an indelible mark in millions of hearts and is excited about the re-telecast of the serial.
He said the love of the audience is the biggest award for him. Govil said, "Ramayana teaches the value of relationships."
Talking to , Govil said the response is better than ever during the re-telecast. A lot of new people are seeing it for the first time while those who were child during its first time telecast are also seeing it. Though the time has progressed considerably but people still find it fresh.
When asked that why didn't he joined politics despite being popular, he said, "Both the major parties, the BJP and the Congress, have asked me to join them several times but I never wanted to join politics. Apart from this, it is a matter of priorities. Nowadays, politics is also like a profession and I am satisfied with my current profession."
On not appearing in more films after Ramayana, Govil said, "The image of Ram was so strong that I couldn't do every role. The response of the audience was also one of the reasons. On working in a web series on Ramayana or any other religious subject, he said I would decided about it after looking at the script and if it suits me I will definitely work."
On dialogues of Ramayana becoming viral on social media, he said, "The social media is a powerful medium nowadays and the new generation is active on it, therefore, the dialogues are going viral."
Talking about being active on social media, he added, "My Twitter account was quite old but I became active during the re-telecast of Ramayana. In only 20 days, my Twitter followers increased by 1.80 lakh while I got one million followers on Facebook and one lakh each on Instagram and YouTube."
Talking about his recent comment where he said that no government has given respect, Govil said, "I replied to a question asked by the Chief Executive Director of the Film Fair on Twitter. In another tweet, I made it clear that I have no desire of any award and my comment was only a reply to a question."
Although state honour means a lot but the love given by the audience is the biggest award of my life. "I even wrote in the tweet, 'Thank you for the love you all gave to me'," he said.
When asked that will you accept the honour if any government decides to give you, he said, "Why not? There is no problem in it. If I get an honour, I will accept it heartly while I will not complaint if I don't get."
On his routine during the lockdown, the actor said there is no significant change. "I am at my home with my family. The only difference is that I don't go out now. People are using this time to showcase their creativity. This lockdown has given a chance to everyone to fulfill their hobbies as per interest."
"I watch Ramayana with my family, give interviews to the media, create and post videos on social media," he added.
While giving a message to the new generation artists, Govil said, "A lot of people and even corporate houses invite me to give motivational speeches. I only ask them to focus on life management and not only watch Ramayana but also imbibe it in your life.
He said, "Ramayana teaches us about the value of relationships. There are many relationships a person has in one lifetime. If he values all the relationships well his life will become good. In life, one should not only take everything rather understand to give it back also. If you learn to give your life will become peaceful and this is what Ramayana teaches."
( With inputs from IANS )