Television has been a medium that has reached the biggest possible audience. During the pandemic lockdown, Hindi television was the only source of entertainment, and it was then that the stars from Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan shot back to stardom after nearly four decades.
The legendary series was re-run on television throughout the epidemic, and audiences of this age were familiar with The OG of Hindi Television, Arun Govil. Arun Govil mentioned in various interviews how people used to revere him and believe he is an avatar of Lord Ram.
Govil stated in one such interview how he had to make a huge shift in his lifestyle after a fan was so disappointed in him that he began attacking Govil on set.
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Arun Govil became famous overnight after Ramayan aired on Doordarshan. Fans saw him as God. So much so that they refused to watch him in any other role other than Lord Ram. Govil went south to try his luck in the South industry.
Arun Govil spoke about an unusual incident from his life on The Kapil Sharma Show. "I was working in a Tamil film, and the shooting was also in the south," he explained. “In the film, I played Lord Balaji and collaborated with Bhanumati. I had lately started smoking. "I also had the urge to smoke during the shoot. So, I looked for a lonely corner, hid behind a curtain, and lit a cigarette," Ram of Hindi TV continued. A gentleman passed by and began speaking in Tamil, seeming disgusted. All I could make out was that he abused me."
This lashing had a profound effect on Govil. It affected him so severely that he never smoked again. The actor made his film debut in 1977 with Rajshri Productions' Paheli but rose to prominence as Birju in Rajshri Productions' Sawan Ko Aane Do, which was released in 1979. He rose to prominence, however, as Ram in Ramanand Sagar's mythological series, which broadcast on Doordarshan in the 1980s.
Arun Govil appears in Vikramaditya Motwane's Jubilee, which is available on Amazon Prime India. He will soon be featured in Akshay Kumar and Pankaj Tripathi starrer 'Oh My God 2'.