From reel to real: How stiff is a challenge for ‘Ram’ Arun Govil on his electoral odyssey?

HAPUR: In 1987, Ramanand Sagar’s magnum opus ‘Ramayan’ captivated the small screen audiences, and the tale of their Lord gripped the nation. The show’s broadcast would halt the nation’s activities as viewers delved into the mesmerising narrative, envisioning their gods through the portrayal of Arun Govil as Ram and Dipika Chikhlia as Sita.

Now, 37 later, amidst the renewed enthusiasm for Ram following the consecration ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol in the newly-constructed temple in Ayodhya, the Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded Arun Govil as a candidate from Meerut in the Lok Sabha elections. This move aims to capitalise on the prevailing sentiments. However, Govil faces the challenge of rekindling the same connection with voters that he had during his portrayal of Ram.

Chasing Govil on his campaign trail in Hapur, Hindustan Times finds the small screen’s Ram engaging in the politics of symbols and religion, hopping from temple to temple, and trying to establish a connection with people.

Welcomed with garlands, showered with rose petals, and the beat of drums, people eagerly sought a glimpse of him, attempting to capture his image on their mobile phones. At Chandi Devi Mandir, a group of girls and women climbed onto a platform to photograph him, while others aimed for selfies. However, many youngsters remained unaffected by the reel-life Ram, having not experienced the charisma of Ramanand Sagar’s show.

Earlier in the day, Govil arrived at the dais at Sanatan Dharm Mandir, where a Ram Katha was underway. The priest, who was conducting the Ram Katha, couldn’t hide his joy upon finding Govil on the dais and exclaimed, “Aaj Ram ki Katha me abhinay jagat ke Ram padhare hai” (Today, the Ram of the reel world has arrived in the Ram Katha). A crowd of women and men devotees, seated on the floor, eagerly awaited a glimpse of Govil, with the entire hall resounding with chants of ‘Jai Sriram.’

Govil, in turn, didn’t disappoint them. He recited a couplet from the Ramayana and elaborated on how it teaches us about our duties, responsibilities, and the importance of relationships in life. Connecting this to his campaign, he said, “Vote for the right candidate and party. But I assure you to rectify past shortcomings in the coming five years.”

Govil also garlanded statues of Dr. Bheem Rao Ambedkar, Ch. Charan Singh, Shyama Prasad Mukerjee, and offered prayers in Sanatan Dharm Mandir, Chandi Mandir, and Hanuman Mandir but skipped the statue of Jawaharlal Nehru situated barely 50 metres away from Mukerjee’s statue.

A young lawyer, Ankit Sharma, commented that the BJP seems to be banking on Ram to polarise Hindu votes, which is why they have fielded the TV screen’s Ram in the fray. However, a young businessman, Swetank Tyagi, believes that this strategy of the BJP won’t work on young voters as many of them didn’t watch the TV serial aired over 40 years ago.