Ram and Sita back in our living rooms; Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Ramayan’ makes a comeback

On Saturday, March 28, the 1987-1988 TV collection, Ramayan, which made Arun Govil, Deepika Chikhalia and Arvind Trivedi family names, returns to Doordarshan. The hour-long episodes will air each day, one at 9 am, adopted by one other at 9 pm. The present, which is within the Limca Ebook of Data because the world’s most seen mythological serial, was created, written, directed and produced by the late Ramanand Sagar. His son, Prem, who celebrates his birthday on March 29, admits it’s the perfect reward he might have obtained. “With my e-book on papaji, An Epic Life: Ramanand Sagar, doing very well and Ram Navami on April 2, this looks like another reason to rejoice,” he exults.

The choice comes two days after Narendra Modi addressed the nation within the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, calling for a national, 21-day lockdown. Prem acquired a name from the PMO asking for the rights to the 78-episode present. He gave them, ex-gratia. “It’s nationwide dharma to deliver Lord Rama and his teachings to the individuals, not dhandha. There are 130 crore Indians sitting at dwelling with nothing to look at,” he says earnestly.

Prem hopes it creates the identical frenzy it had again within the ’80s, when individuals throughout the nation sat glued to their TV screens for an hour each Sunday morning. “After watching Ram and Bharat reunite within the forest, two Muslim brothers who, following variations, had been dwelling individually, reconciled,” he reminisces.

The filmmaker is unfazed by the streaming giants who’re bringing worldwide content material into our properties. “The older technology will pressure the youthful ones to sit down with them and watch Ramayan, then, by way of the day, lecture them on the sort of content material they’re often watching while educating them about our tradition and traditions,” he factors out.

However wouldn’t a modern-day adaptation on an OTT platform be extra related? “Right now’s mythological reveals are all about costumes and graphics. Content material is the soul of a present, and in the event you don’t get that proper, nothing works. Ramayana is perennial; it would at all times be new,” he concludes.