Arun Govil & Sunil Lahri were not the first choice for 'Ramayan'? Read interesting facts

The re-run of the famous serial of the 80s', Ramayan, amid the lockdown, has garnered much love from the audience. In the past couple of weeks, the lead actors, including Dipika Chikhlia and Sunil Lahri opened up about the behind-the-scene efforts of the crew. They revealed many unknown facts associated with the series. Here are a few more to join the list of lesser-known facts about Ramanand Sagar's serial that might leave you surprised. 

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Lesser-known facts about Ramayan

The lead cast was never the first choice

Reportedly, Arun Govil, who played Lord Ram in the series, failed at the audition. A few reports have quoted him saying that after his photoshoot in the look of Lord Ram, makers rejected him because he did not fit into the character. Later, his smile added simplicity to the character and convinced the makers to sign him. 
It is also reported that the character of Lakshman was initially offered to Shashi Puri and Sanjay Jog. But due to some reasons, they declined the offer and played Shatrughan and Bharat respectively. Sunil Lahri was supposed to play Shatrughan's character but ended up bagging Lakshman's role. 

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The shoot

It is reported that most of the sequence of the series has been shot at Umergaon, Gujarat. It is at four hours distance from Mumbai. The entire show was shot within 550 days. Interestingly, it is reported that the crew took around 15 days to shoot the first episode. Reportedly, the series was extended thrice due to its popularity. Ramayan was also considered as a trendsetter as several mythological series was crafted after the successful run of Ramayan. 

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The records

Reportedly, Ramayan was considered as the most expensive TV show produced during that time. A few reports state that Ramayan had entered the Limca Book of Records as the most-watched mythological series. Also, Ramayan was telecast in 55 different countries. 

Other interesting trivia about the show

• In a recent media interaction, Ramanmnad Sagar's son Prem Sagar revealed that the director never wanted to shoot the Luv-Kush episode. But after receiving a request call from the PMO office, he decided to add Uttar Ramayan. 
• Interestingly, the characters of Maharaj Dashratha and Rani Kaushalya essayed by Bal Dhuri and Jayshree Gadkar are married in real life. 
• Dara Singh who played the role of Lord Hanuman in the show has played a cameo role of Hanuman in B.R. Chopra's Mahabharat.

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