On Wednesday actor-turned-politician Manoj Tiwari took the acting stage again when he performed Parashurama's role at the Nav Shri Manav Dharm Ramlila in Model Town.
Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu in Hinduism is described in epics as the angry Brahmin who uses his axe to kill a large number of warriors because they abused their power.
Sporting a yellow dhoti, leopard-skin vest, Rudraksha beads bracelet and mala (necklace) the BJP MP delivered with aplomb a performance peppered with well-prepared dialogues, which kept the audience hooked.
"It is a pleasure to be a part of Ramlila to popularise stories about Lord Ram. I am playing the part of Lord Parashurama who had fought against unjust kings," said Tiwari.
"With time, I have learned the art to sing and dance and what could be better than using my learnings for a holy play Ramayana," he said.
While he was starting out as an actor, Tiwari said he had enacted the roles of Angad and Kewat in the Ramlila and that people began recognising him ever since.
Meanwhile, Bollywood actor Shahbaz Khan, who played Ravana said: "This is my favourite role. I have played Ravana's character in one of my shows. Ravana is one of the greatest villains of cinema."
Ahead of the nine days of Dusshera, a dramatic folk play Ramlila was orgsed to show the scene of the execution of Ravana by Lord Rama, which is hailed as a victory over evil.
( With inputs from ANI )