Ramayan 1987

The extended lockdown period imposed across the country owing to the Coronavirus scare has put a complete halt to the production process of TV shows, web shows and movies. With no fresh episodes left to telecast on the small screen, channels have resorted to re-running some popular shows back from the 80s and 90s that were considered hits back then. Among others, the iconic mythological shows Ramayan and Mahabharat have also been re-run by Doordarshan much to the excitement of audience. Today, we will be focusing on certain interesting facts related to Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan that may be unknown to many of you. The 1987 series has made a comeback to the small screen after a long period of 33 years and is interestingly garnering tremendous response from the Indian viewers. The mythological show is based on Valmiki’s Ramayan, as well as, Ramcharitmanas which was composed by Tulsidas. It was first aired on television on January 25, 1987. Given below are some of the interesting facts about Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan: 1. Ramayan holds the record for being the most watched mythological show in the world with 82 percent viewership. The mythological series was telecast in over 55 countries and had a viewership of 650 million at that time. 2. It was also considered to be one of the most expensive shows made during that time with a budget of a whopping amount of Rs 9 lakh per episode. Doordarshan reportedly made profits of Rs 40 lakh per episode from the show. 3. The first episode of...

Beginning its journey on the peak of the mountain called Valmiki, it flows onto the mighty ocean called Rama and in its path, the river called Ramayana cleanses everything on its way. Those who know the soul of this epic know that it has existed beyond the realms of time. Several tributaries have flown into this mighty river through the centuries. It is said that Ram Katha predates Valmiki as well, for even Valmiki is set to have heard the story from Narada in a summarised form. It is said that every cycle of creation and destruction saw a different Ramayana and for this very reason it is believed that the first narrator of the Ramayana was Shiva himself who narrated it to Parvati. The fourth sarga of the Bala Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana states how Lava Kusa narrated this epic before the people of Ayodhya, in the presence of their father Rama himself. The Silent Era When the 20th century art form of cinema began spreading across the world, Ram Katha found a new medium. As we all know, cinema was silent in its early years and filmmakers chose to bring familiar stories to the audience, which could be appreciated even in the absence of dialogues. So when Dhundiraj Govind Phalke made India's first feature film, he chose to make it on an ancestor of Rama, whose story was equally popular. Thus, in 1913, India had its first feature film in Raja Harishchandra. In 1917, Phalke made Lanka Dahan, starring Anna Salunke and Tryambak Telang. Anna Salunke was a male artiste who had don...

Premium Ramayan: Look at the show from the moral prism, not religious Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan (1987) was an unprecedented landmark in the DD era. As the record-breaking epic is all set to be re-telecast from this morning, here's rewinding to the time when Lord Ram's morality tale brought India to a standstill. Arun Govil and Dipika Chikhalia in Ramayan. (Express archive photo) Ramanand Sagar’s iconic Ramayan first premiered on Doordarshan in 1987, after which, as they say, Indian television wasn’t quite the same. Hail the ideal king A simple answer is that Indians could relate to Ramayan, but to see the insides of the godly royal courts, elaborate costumes and ornaments, forests and battle scenes, monkey armies, the miracles, boons and curses, the saints and sages, your favourite god’s personal tribulation.. all this unspooling on your friendly TV set was entirely new. Part of the show’s appeal lies in its fresh casting and the way Sagar presented the mythological epic in a folkloric style. In its 78 episodes, writer-director Sagar traces the life of Lord Ram, Dasharatha’s favourite son who must save his kidnapped wife Sita from demon Ravana and along the way, teach us mere mortals important morals and life wisdoms. Ram, the most ideal and virtuous man and king who must lead human race to the right path and establish Karma and Dharma, referred to in the Hindu pantheon as one of the avatars of Vishnu himself, was played by Arun Govil while his beloved wife and soulmate Sit...

An adaptation of the ancient epic, in which the exiled Prince Rama and his brother Laxman set out to save Rama's wife, Sita, who has been kidnapped by the demon king of Lanka Ravana. An adaptation of the ancient epic, in which the exiled Prince Rama and his brother Laxman set out to save Rama's wife, Sita, who has been kidnapped by the demon king of Lanka Ravana. An adaptation of the ancient epic, in which the exiled Prince Rama and his brother Laxman set out to save Rama's wife, Sita, who has been kidnapped by the demon king of Lanka Ravana.

Ramayan is a highly successful and phenomenally popular Indian epic television series created, written, and directed by Ramanand Sagar. The 78 episode series originally aired weekly on Doordarshan from 25 January 1987, to 31 July 1988, on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. IST. It is a television adaptation of the ancient Indian Hindu religious epic of the same name and is primarily based on Valmiki’s Ramayan and Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas. It is also partly derived from portions of Kamban’s Ramavataram and other works. Offer Terms • Only valid for new DIRECTV STREAM subscribers. • Only valid once per household. • You must pay and maintain service for at least one month to be eligible. • Purchase must be completed on the DIRECTV STREAM website. • You’ll receive gift card 4-6 weeks after purchase (~2 weeks after your first month). • Cannot be combined with any other promotion and won’t be eligible if you try to use a coupon code or cash back from another site. Offer Terms • Only valid for new Sling TV subscribers to Sling Orange, Blue, or Sling Orange + Blue. • Only valid once per household. • You must pay and maintain service for at least one month to be eligible. • You must click from The Streamable and complete your purchase on the Sling TV website. • You’ll receive gift card 4-6 weeks after purchase (~2 weeks after your first month). • Cannot be combined with any other promotion and won’t be eligible if you try to use a coupon code or cash back from another site. Offer Terms • Only val...

As television began to dominate living rooms of middle-class Indians in the 1980s, a serial based on the epic Ramayana was broadcast on the State-run Doordarshan channel. It became so popular that entire neighbourhoods would gather in front of one television screen in the area, people would drop errands and rush home in time to view the show, and the streets were deserted when the show aired. By some estimates, one in eight Indians watched the show, and advertisers rushed to fill in the slots. It broke viewership records both in north and south India. The maker of the serial, Ramanand Sagar, took inspiration from Valmiki’s Ramayan, but let his imagination run riot. The serial was often melodramatic and over-the-top in its aesthetics, but the serialised epic held viewers’ attention week after week. While the serial was conceptualised and put on air by the Congress government hoping to capitalise on the Hindu vote, it ended up benefiting the Sangh Parivar, which at that time was busy campaigning for the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan laid the foundation for Hindu nationalism and reshaped the public sphere in India irrevocably. It contributed to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement by acting as a magnet for scores of young recruits for the Bajrang Dal. It brought the epic closer to everyday life and introduced an idea of Ram’s birthplace that was in sync with the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign. While harking back to a prehistoric golden era, the serial changed the chara...