Actor Dipika Chikhlia, who was seen playing the role of Sita in Ramayan, was introduced to an unmatched popularity that has not faded even today. In an earlier interview, she had revealed how people in the villages would still refer to her as Sita and would even try touching her feet! However, given a choice today, Sita would not be the character she would like to play.

In a recent conversation, Dipika revealed she had evolved as an actor, and would rather be interested to play Kaikeyi, lord Ram's stepmother who insisted her husband Dashratha to send Ram, Lakshman and Sita to an exile for 14 years. Dipika added that playing a negative career was an entirely different experience and she was fond of playing roles that let her explore herself as an artist.

Actor Sunil Lahiri, who played Lakshman's character, said he'd still pick the same role, but if he had another choice, he would like to get into the shoes of Ravana as the character had many shades and would give an actor many varieties to perform.

As the nationwide lock-down began, Doordarshan started re-airing some of its most popular TV shows, Ramayan being the first one. On April 16, it became the world's most watched TV show, with 7.7 crore viewers.

Veteran Gujarati actor Arvind Trivedi, who became a household name all over India playing Raavan in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan, got emotional while watching the re-run of the popular mythological serial.

In a video circulating on social media, Trivedi, who is in his eighties now, is seen watching the 'Sita Apaharan' (Kidnapping of Sita) episode with great attention. The video has gone viral on the internet.

In the video, Trivedi folds his hands in the end. The scene got him very emotional, as per a report by timesofindia.indiatimes.com.

Have a look:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

So touching. 84 year old veteran #ArvindTrivedi ji watched his #Ravana role after 30 years & seeks forgiveness from others 🙏🙏

A post shared by @ koro_na_hunter onApr 12, 2020 at 7:54am PDT

Amid the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown, the popular mythological series is being re-telecast on Doordarshan.

Ramayan aired in 1987-1988 and is created, written, and directed by Ramanand Sagar. The show was a television adaptation of the Indian Hindu epic of the same name.

The show was a game-changer for Indian television, hooking the nation to the show. Sunday mornings were never the same for families in India after the first episode of "Ramayan" aired on television. The impact was such that the actors associated with the show, continue to live under the shadow of their characters, with people remembering them for the roles they played in the show, which narrated the life story of Lord Ram and Sita.

The role of Ram was played by Arun Govil, Sita played by Deepika Chikhalia, Lakshman was played by Sunil Lahiri, and Hanuman by late Dara Singh. It also featured Sanjay Jog, late Vijay Arora, Sameer Rajda, late Mulraj Rajda and late Lalita Pawar.

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Author Amish Tripathi launched Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta, which is the third installment of his wildly popular Ram Chandra series.

While Sunil Lahri would have picked the role of Ramayan, Dipika Chikhalia, who played the role of Sita, would have been okay playing Lord Ram's step-mother Kaikeyi