Arun Govil, who famously played Lord Rama in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan, has reacted to the backlash surrounding Ranbir Kapoor's casting as Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana.
Arun Govil addressed the criticism in a recent interview with Variety India, stating that his portrayal of Lord Rama had become a benchmark over the years and that audiences are often reluctant to embrace change.
He mentioned that his performance as Lord Rama had become the touchstone and that nobody wants to see another Rama, as his Ramayan keeps playing somewhere or the other at any given time.
When asked about Ranbir Kapoor's Lord Rama avatar, Arun mentioned that he is a good actor and a fine human being, and that every actor pursues every character in their own way.
Arun Govil played Lord Rama in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan, which aired on Doordarshan from 1987-88, and remains India's most-watched TV series.
Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana is a two-part film starring Ranbir as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana, with Arun Govil playing King Dashrath this time.
The film is mounted on a massive budget of ₹4000 crore, making it the most expensive Indian film ever made, and one of the costliest film productions worldwide.
