On January 25, 1987, Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan was aired on television across India and took the nation by storm. This was before the cable TV’s entry in the market, so Ramayan was telecast on Doordarshan. It is to date one of the most revered series that left the viewers glued to their TV on Sundays. The show was headlined by Arun Govil and Dipika Chikhlia, who essayed the role of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita respectively. Their extraordinary acting, along with exceptional direction and storytelling made a long-lasting impression on the minds of the viewers. Let’s see what their remuneration was at that time.
Ramayan emerged to be one of the most-loved mythological shows on television. Apart from Arun Govil and Dipika Chikhlia, it also starred Sunil Lahri as Lakshman, Dara Singh as Hanuman and Arvind Trivedi as Raavan. Such was its popularity that it enjoyed a rerun on National TV during the lockdown.
As per media reports, Arun Govil was the highest-paid actor, followed by Dara Singh and Arvind Trivedi. There is not much difference between their paychecks. Reportedly, Arun Govil, who was initially rejected, was paid the highest fee of Rs 40 lakh at that time. Dipika Chikhlia took home Rs 20 lakh, while Sunil Lahri’s remuneration was Rs 25 lakh. Dara Singh took home a cheque of Rs 35 lakh, while Arvind Trivedi was paid Rs 30 lakh.
Did you know Rs 9 lakh was spent per episode to produce Ramayan? In an interview with India Today, Prem Sagar – the son of Ramanand Sagar – revealed the story about the first financier of the show. Previously, in 1986, Ramanand Sagar directed Vikram Aur Betaal which was a huge success. So, after the success of that show, Colgate agreed to be a sponsor, along with Hindustan Lever and Arvind Mafatlal as well.
This high investment per episode yielded a lot of viewership. It further resulted in registering its name in the Limca Book of Records in 2003 after 40 million people watched the initial airing of Ramayan. The mythological epic was broadcast in more than 50 countries and was seen by more than 650 million people.
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