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Television has been a medium that connects to the widest range of audiences. Hindi Television was the only source of entertainment during the pandemic lockdown and it was then that the actors of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan shot back to fame after nearly four decades.
During the pandemic, the mythological series had a re-run on television and audiences of this age connected to The OG of Hindi Television, Arun Govil. Arun Govil in many of his interviews revealed how people used to worship him and actually believe that he is an avatar of Lord Ram.
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In one such interview, Govil revealed how he had to bring a major change in his lifestyle after a fan was so disappointed in him that he started abusing Govil on sets. Scroll down to know what happened.
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So after Ramayan was aired on Doordarshan, Arun Govil shot to fame overnight. He was considered God by fans. So much so that they did not want to see him in any other role except Lord Ram. Govil tried his luck down south.
In an episode of The Kapil Sharma Show, Arun Govil revealed an interesting anecdote from his life. He narrated, “I was working in a Tamil film and the shooting was also in the South. I was playing Lord Balaji in the film and was working with Bhanumati. I had recently developed a habit of smoking. And during the shoot, I had the urge to smoke.”
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Ram of the Hindi TV, further said, “So, I searched for a lonely corner, hid behind a curtain, and lit a cigarette. A gentleman passed by and started saying something in Tamil and looked disgusted. All I could make out was, he abused me.”
Later Arun Govil asked someone to translate what the man said and he was told that the man was upset and said,”We consider you God and you are sitting here smoking cigarettes.”
This thrashing had a powerful impact on Govil. It hit him so hard that he never touched cigarettes in his life ever again. The actor made his film debut in 1977 with Rajshri Productions’ Paheli but got acclaim as Birju from Sawan Ko Aane Do which was released in 1979, also by Rajshri Productions. However, he gained stardom by playing Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s mythological series which aired on Doordarshan in 80s.
Arun Govil is a part of Vikramaditya Motwane’s Jubilee which is streaming on Amazon Prime India. He will next be seen in Akshay Kumar – Pankaj Tripathi starrer Oh My God 2.
For more such stories, stay tuned to Koimoi.
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