Arun Govil reveals the challenges he faced after playing Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan

Arun Govil, the veteran actor who became synonymous with the portrayal of Lord Ram in the TV serial Ramayan, recently shared insights into the challenges he faced after the show's success. While Ramayan catapulted Govil to stardom, it also brought about a unique struggle like being typecast and finding fewer opportunities in mainstream cinema.

Arun Govil narrates his ordeal

Created, written, and directed by Ramanand Sagar, Ramayan became a cultural phenomenon during its run, lasting a year on television. Arun Govil's portrayal of Lord Ram earned him immense respect and love from audiences. However, the very success of the show presented a double-edged sword for the actor.

In an interview with Rajshri Unplugged, Arun Govil opened up about the mixed blessings that followed the success of Ramayan. He expressed, "The response of Ramayan led to both, good and bad things. I got a lot of respect and honour but I was completely distanced from commercial films. All the producers and directors would tell me that my image of Lord Ram had became so strong that they would wonder what role to cast me in for. ‘People see only Lord Ram in you, they don’t see any other character’ is what they said."

Arun Govil's struggles beyond Lord Ram

Arun Govil acknowledged that the scenario was not favourable for any actor. The strong association with Lord Ram limited his options in mainstream cinema, leading to a period of uncertainty in his career. Despite attempting to break free from the typecast image with some "grey" roles, Govil realised that such parts did not suit him.

"For an actor, this is not good. The negative effect of it stayed with me for many years. At that point, I would think, ‘What do I do now?’ I tried after that. Films were totally out of question for me but TV was growing. There I did some grey shades intentionally, but after watching myself play those, parts I realised that this is not made for me, sorry," he said.

A look back at Arun Govil's long-lasting career

Post Ramayan, Arun Govil ventured into TV shows like Luv Kush, Vishwamitra, Phoolwanti, and more. In a testament to the evolving landscape of entertainment, Govil made a recent appearance in OMG 2, sharing the screen with Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar and Pankaj Tripathi.