Latest news with #RamanandSagar
India.com
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Remember Ramanand Sagar Ramayan's 'Surpanakha'? The actress was paid Rs 30000 to cut off her nose, quit acting to work as..., her name is...
Remember Ramanand Sagar Ramayan's 'Surpanakha'? The actress was paid Rs 30000 to cut off her nose, quit acting to work as..., her name is... Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan, originally telecasted from January 1987 to July 1988, is considered the most-watched Indian television show even three decades after it ended. The show featured largely new or unknown characters in the lead roles such as Dipika Chikhlia, Sunil Lahri, and Arvind Trivedi, that later became household names following the show's success. Renu Dhariwal, who portrayed Ravana's sister Surpanakha, one of the most popular characters in Ramayana, also rose to fame. Even though, she starred in just four out of 78 episodes, she still captivated audiences with her performance in the mythological serial. The actress once shared the back story regarding how she got the role of Shurpanakha in Ramayan. In an earlier interaction with Indian Express, Renu recalled, 'I come from a conservative Punjabi family, the kind that would never allow their daughters to enter showbiz. But I wanted to be an actor, a decision my Bengali mother supported. Without telling my father the real reason for moving to Bombay, I came here and joined Roshan Taneja's acting classes, where Govinda was my classmate. After that, I started to work in theatre. That's where Papaji (Ramanand Sagar) saw me.' She further added, 'He saw me play a mother in a play called Purush. When he realised I was a young girl, he was impressed and asked me to audition for Surpanakha's role. Surpanakha is the sister of a powerful warrior and scholar, Raavan. She is a princess and a shapeshifter, and the one who becomes the trigger for the most famous battle in Hindu mythology. I didn't see any reason to let go of the opportunity.' Renu was paid Rs 30000 for her portrayal of Surpanakha in Ramayan. Morever, she also received several work opportunities following the show's success. During the same interaction, she recalled, 'It got me roles in BR Chopra's teleseries Chunni, Surinder Singh's National Award-winning Punjabi film Marhi da Deewa and also Hema Malini's directorial debut Dil Aashna Hai, before I gave it all up for a career in politics.' Renu Dhariwal gave up her acting career after marriage, and now currently lives in Mumbai with her husband and a son. After taking a step back from films, she ventured into politics, and now works actively for Congress Party. Moreover, she also helps her husband in his real estate business. Besides this, she also operates two NGOs for women and child care.
India.com
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Remember Mandodari from Ramayana? She became an actress to cope with grief of her husband's death, later quit acting, now works as...
Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana became a platform that gave name and fame to many actors. From Arun Govil to Dipika Chikhlia, many actors who were a part of the show brought the characters to life. While the audience loved Arvind Trivedi in the role of Ravana, Dara Singh became famous for his portrayal of Hanuman. However, do you know who played the role of 'Mandodari', the wife of 'Ravan', in this mythological serial? Let us tell you—the actress who played the role is the daughter of a legendary late actor. The story of this actress will shock you and leave you stunned. The actress we are talking about here is the daughter of late actor Bharat Bhushan, and her name is Aparajita Bhushan. Despite making a name for herself in the industry, Aparajita is now staying away from the limelight. Aparajita's role of Mandodari garnered massive appreciation from the audience, and not just that—it also gave her a new identity. Despite getting a lot of appreciation, Aparajita decided to quit the industry. In 1997, she left acting never to return. You will be amazed to know the story behind her entering the field in the first place. She turned to acting not for fame but for a different reason. It was Ramanand Sagar who brought Aparajita into the acting world and advised her to work in Ramayana when she was badly broken by the death of her husband, as per a report by India TV. Acting became her escape, and she found peace in it. However, after a while, she left acting and focused elsewhere. Today, Aparajita has turned into an author. She writes columns for well-known media houses.
Indian Express
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Ramanand Sagar's iconic Ramayan was nearly shelved, slapped with 175 cuts': Varun Badola reveals he was ‘stopped from quoting Ramcharitmanas'
Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan is one of the most watched shows in Indian television history, with its re-runs still airing on the Doordarshan network. While it's now considered to be an evergreen classic, the show was nearly shelved. Actor, director and writer Varun Badola, known for his popular roles on television, sat down for an interview and shared some anecdotes about the television industry. In an appearance on the YouTube show Zindagi with Richa, Badola talked about his time in television, and his transition into OTT. Among the many stories he shared, he was very vocal about the practices of network executives and what all goes into getting a show on air. He revealed how his vision seldom aligned with the makers' and said, 'The first thing we are always told on TV is that the show has to be aspirational. Either I was taught a very different meaning of that word, or I didn't understand the makers.' ALSO READ: Varun Badola answers if Ekta Kapoor ruined Indian television forever, says he spoke to her about it: 'Sunne waalon mein se nahi hai' He gave an example of how too much red tape can be harmful for the business and talked about how the iconic Ramayan series was stuck on a shelf for reasons he never understood. He said, 'I can give you first hand information regarding this, that a show like Ramayan had 175 cuts prepared. Ramanand Sagar himself made those 175 cuts and told me. Yet they did not want to air the show for reasons best known to them.' The actor added that people start walking on eggshells when it comes to stories with religious backdrops, and blamed it on the 'rudimentary and archaic' thinking of people. The type of thinking which led makers of a certain show to stop Badola for quoting the epic Ramcharitmanas. 'I wanted to use a quote from the Ramcharitmanas, and they were completely against it and told me that it wasn't allowed. Their explanations were very weird, and they told me that I could use any one obscure line written by Kabir, but I couldn't use the entire doha,' added Badola. Badola has made a successful transition from daily soap operas to web series on OTT platforms with appearances in shows like Guns and Gulaabs (2023), Your Honour (2020), and Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen (2024). He also starred in Sky Force (2025) alongside Akshay Kumar and debutant Veer Pahariya.
India.com
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
This actor played 'Raja Dasharatha' in Ramayan, suddenly disappeared after doing 22 films, his name was..., last film was...
Ramayan, which aired on Doordarshan in 1987, has entertained the Indian audience for a long time. The star cast of this mythological show, directed by Ramanand Sagar, is also considered quite cult. On this basis, today we are going to tell you in detail about the actor who played the role of Raja Dasharatha in the TV's Ramayan. Where is that actor at present, and what is he doing? Not only in Ramayana but also in the film world, this artist has shown his talent. Where is King Dasharath of Ramayan? Ramayan, was telecasted again during the lockdown. During that time, too, there was a lot of discussion about the character of King Dasharatha. Of course, other characters, including actor Arun Govil, who played the role of Lord Ram, stole the limelight of the show. But no one can forget the role of King Dasharatha played by actor Bal Dhuri. Bal Dhuri has been a veteran actor of Marathi cinema. In this mythological show, he won the hearts of the fans by giving 100 percent of his powerful acting. Currently, Bal Dhuri is seen doing small roles in the Marathi film industry. But somewhere, he is also in the shadow of anonymity, because his glimpse is rarely seen on the screen. However, he is still longing for the kind of success that he got through Ramayana. Not only Ramayana, he has also worked as an actor in many films. Most of which include Marathi films. Bal Dhuri's acting career Bal Dhuri started his acting career in the 70s through the Marathi film Devchiye Dwari. After this, he also appeared in an important role in the Dara Singh starrer Jai Bajrang Bali. In this way, he worked in about 22 films. But in 1987, Bal Dhuri's career changed suddenly with Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana. Apart from Ramayana, Bal Dhuri is known for playing the character of the Great Maratha Balaji Bajirao. Talking about his personal life, he married Bollywood and Marathi actress Jayshree Gadkar.
India.com
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
This actor played the role of 'Sugriva' in Ramayan, his name is..., where is he now and what is he doing?
From time to time, mythological shows and films have been produced in the entertainment world. But the Ramayana made by Ramanand Sagar on Doordarshan in the 80s still lives in the hearts of fans. There is a lot of discussion about the cast of this Ramayana. Especially many actors like actor Arun Govil, who plays the role of Lord Ram, and Arvind Trivedi, who appears in the role of Ravana, remain a part of it. Today, we are going to tell you about the actor who played the role of Sugriva in the TV's Ramayana. The cast of Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana was very special in itself. Every character of this is an example in today's era. All the actors did justice to their roles with great simplicity. But actor Shyam Sundar Kalani, who appeared in the role of monkey king Sugriva, was something else. Shyam said goodbye to this world on 29 March 2020 during the lockdown. Actor Arun Govil gave information about this through a social media post. The character of Sugriva was very important in Ramayana and Shyam Sundar immortalised him with his powerful acting. Before his death, Shyam lived in the current house boarding colony in Kalka, Panchkula, Haryana. His acting career was quite brilliant. Apart from Ramayana, Shyam Sundar Kalani also worked in many films. However, with time, he went away from the limelight. In an interview given to Lehro Retro, Ramanand Sagar's son, Prem Sagar had informed that finding the role of Sugriva had become a big challenge for the makers. Once the shooting of Ramayana was going on late at night in the forest near Umargaon in Gujarat, a tall and broad man came there and fell at my father's feet and said that I am your Sugriva, please give me this role. In this way, Shyam Sundar Kalani became a part of Ramayana.
