LUCKNOW: Post-Bhoomi Pujan ceremony in Ayodhya on August 5, the changing ambiance of temple town is now turning more into a celebration of its icon -- Lord Ram.
If the highly-placed sources are to be believed, this year’s Ram Leela during the upcoming ‘Sharadiya Navratri’ in the temple town is going to be special and grander with a majestic touch of Bollywood.
The Ram Leela will be performed between October 17 and 25, depicting the war of Lord Ram on demon King Ravan from the day of commencement of Navratri till its culmination in Vijay Dashmi (Dussehra) on October 25 in the temple town.
The sources claimed that if there would be a let-up in the spread of Covid-19, the Ram Leela would be performed live on stage for the audience at chosen spots across the temple town, but if the dreaded virus would not relent by then, Ram Leela would be shot and aired on TV channels, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, and other social media platforms.
The sources claimed that while the names of the actors to play Lord Ram, Lakshman and Sita have been kept confidential, Bhojpuri star and Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan are likely to be witnessed in the role of Bharat (one of the three younger brothers of Lord Ram) and Bhojpuri singer and BJP MP from Delhi East Manoj Tiwari as ‘Angad’ (son of monkey king Bali and Lord Ram’s emissary).
Moreover, Bindu Dara Singh, son of wrestler and Bollywood actor Dara Singh, is likely to play Lord Hanuman. Notably, Dara Singh had played the role of Lord Hanuman in Ramanand Sagar-directed Doordarshan serial ‘Ramayan’. Many more popular faces like Shahbaz Khan of Chandrakanta fame would also be seen in the role of Ravan.
In fact, the concept for this year’s special Ram Leela to be performed in Ayodhya was conceived during a webinar conducted by Ayodhya Shodh Sansthan recently. Famous actors including Raja Bundela, Raghuvir Yadav, Bindu Dara Singh had participated in the webinar.
The sources in Ayodhya Shodh Sansthan claimed that Mumbai’s prominent dress designer Vishnu Patil has been preparing costumes for the characters of Ramayan.
The Ram Leela would be directed by Pravesh Kumar and presented by Bobby Malik who has been presenting Ram Leela at two places in Delhi for the last five years.