Arun Govil reveals he was forced to play Lakshman in Lav Kush

Actor Arun Govil says he was pressured to play Lakshman in the 1997 film Lav Kush against his own wishes because he had already played Lord Rama in Ramanand Sagar's famous TV show Ramayan. In a recent interview, the veteran actor revealed that he warned the producer that playing Lakshman after playing Rama was not right, but the makers did not listen.

Movie Cast And Box Office

Lav Kush was produced by Dilip Kanikaria under the Devyank Arts banner and directed by V. Madhusudhana Rao. The film starred Jeetendra as Lord Rama, Jaya Prada as Sita, Arun Govil as Lakshman, Dara Singh as Hanuman, and Pran as Valmiki. Made on a massive budget, the film released on 25 July 1997 and proved to be a box-office disaster, earning only ₹43 lakh. Arun believes this bad casting choice was a major reason why the film flopped so badly that it barely ran for a day.

Impact Today

Even today, fans see Arun Govil as Lord Rama and call him Ramji instead of his real name. This image follows him into his political career as a Member of Parliament representing the Meerut constituency in the Lok Sabha. People approach him with blind faith, believing that because he is Ramji, he will solve all their problems. Meanwhile, Arun has returned to the Ramayan world for a third time, playing King Dashrath in Nitesh Tiwari's new film Ramayana, which also stars Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi.

Context

Typecasting happens often in the entertainment industry when audiences strongly connect an actor with one iconic role, making it hard for them to accept the same actor in a different part. Arun Govil's unforgettable portrayal of Lord Rama in the late 1980s television classic created an image so powerful that fans continue to view him through that religious lens decades later, both on screen and in public life.