Arun Govil is an Indian actor, producer, director and politician. He is best known for his role as ‘Lord Rama’ in Ramanand Sagar’s ancient Hindu epic television series, Ramayan (1987-1988).
Wiki/Biography
Arun Govil was born on Sunday, January 12, 1958 (age 64 years; in 2022) in Ramnagar, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. His zodiac sign is Capricorn. He obtained his degree in BSc from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut. He used to participate in school annual functions and also played different roles in college plays. Until then, he was far from thinking of pursuing acting as a profession. After completing his formal education, he moved to Mumbai to lend a helping hand in his brother’s business, where his will to do things on his own would later pave his way into acting.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 10″
Eye Color: Black
Hair Color: Black
Family & Caste
Arun Govil belongs to a Hindu family.
Parents & Siblings
Arun Govil’s father, Chandra Prakash Govil, was a government water works engineer in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. Arun’s father has 8 children (Six boys and 2 girls). One of his brothers, Vijay Govil is married to Tabassum, former Indian actress and host of Doordarshan’s longest running talk show “Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan”.
Family & Children
Arun is married to former designer and film actress Shrilekha Govil.
Arun Govil with wife Shrilekha in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
He met Shrilekha, then a textile designer, early in his acting career. He appreciates her to a great extent for her success and achievements.
Arun Govil with Wife Shrilekha at his residence in Mumbai.
The duo together have two children, Amal Govil (son) and Sonika Govil (daughter).
Son of Arun Govil Amal Govil and Sonika Govil
His son works as a banker in Mumbai, while his daughter Sonika Govil lives in Boston, USA, where she studies at Hult International Business School.
Arun Govil with his daughter
Career
acting
After moving to Mumbai at a young age, boredom with his brother’s business, and a desire to make his own identity prompted him to try his hand at acting. It took him about two years to get his first break, but he was finally cast in the film Paheli (1977), in which he played a supporting role. Paheli’s production company, Rajshri Productions was very impressed with his work and hence, they later signed him as the lead actor for three more films, namely Sawan Ko Aane Do (1979), Raadha Aur Seeta (1979), Saanch Ko Aanch Nahin (1979).
Sawan Ko Aane Do (1977) Movie Poster
One of the three films “Sawan Ko Aane Do” was a mega hit in its time, and its music is still loved by a large section of Indian listeners.
He starred in Kanak Mishra’s Jiyo To Aise Jiyo (1981) which was the 30th biggest hit of that year. His acting career went beyond, and after that, he worked in many other Hindi pictures. He made his small screen debut with Ramanand Sagar’s widely acclaimed television serial “Vikram Aur Betaal” (1988), in which he played the role of the legendary King Vikramaditya.
A shot from Ramanand Sagar’s Vikram Aur Betaal
Meanwhile, he was cast for the role of “Lord Rama” in Ramanand Sagar’s “Ramayan” (1987-88), which is the world’s most watched mythological series.
It proved to be a milestone in his career. He rose to fame and was honored with the Uptron Award for “Best Actor in a Leading Role” in 1989, for his work in Ramayan. Having played the role of Lord Rama with such poise, giving him great exposure; after that, he was offered several spiritual based roles including King Harishchandra in Vishwamitra (TV series) and Lord Buddha in the TV series “Buddha.” He got caught in the image trap and people started to think of him as an example of goodness, Bollywood producers stopped offering him different roles. He has worked in Telugu, Bhojpuri, Bengali and Oriya films including Bidhira Bidhan (1989- Oriya), Edu Kondalaswamy (1991- Telugu), Govinda Govinda (1993- Telugu) Pyari Dulhaniya (1989- Bhojpuri) and many more. In 2008, he established his own production company under the name “Arun Govil Productions Private Limited.”
Politics
On 18 March 2021, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, ahead of assembly elections in four states and Union territories. While interacting with the media, Mr. Govil cited the reason behind his joining the BJP, he said,
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s ire over Jai Shri Ram was the trigger point for me to join the BJP. And there is no harm in saying Jai Shri Ram…it is not a slogan, not even a political slogan. It is our way of life, it represents our culture and our ethos.”
Arun Govil after joining BJP
Car Collection
In June 2022, he bought a Mercedes C 200.
Arun Govil’s new Mercedes Benz car
Facts/Trivia
- Arun’s father Chandra Prakash Govil wanted him to become a government official, while Arun wanted to do something different to build his identity.
Pictures of Arun Govil in his youth
- Arun was not the first choice to play Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, he had to face outright rejection after his audition, but eventually, the production team reached a general consensus to cast him; because they couldn’t find a better actor for a certain role.
- Arun Govil is a versatile actor. Apart from acting in lead roles in many blockbuster films, he has also played several supporting roles and has worked with many legendary Bollywood stars in his career.
Stills from the movie Dhaal- The Battle of Law Against Law showing Danny Denzongpa, Arun Govil and Vinod Khanna
- Arun who was once a heavy smoker got rid of his cigarette addiction after he started playing the role of Ram in Ramayan Ramanand Sagar and stayed away from the habit till now. However, he often consumes alcohol recreationally.
Arun and his wife have quality time
- Even today, after more than 33 years of the Ramayan TV series, people in India call him by the name of Ram Ji and touch his feet in devotion to the character (Rama) he portrayed in the Ramayan.
Latest Pictures of Arun Govil
- Arun Govil, best known for his role as Rama in the TV series Ramayan, even played the role of “Laxman” in the Indian mythological film Lav Kush (1997).
A still from the 1997 TV series Lav Kush
- In 2016, a group of Mumbai builders duped Arun Govil and Sunil Lahri (Laxman in Ramayan) into giving token money to buy a property they were not given ownership of.
On-screen Ram (Arun) & Laxman (Sunil) pose together in a picture from 2016
- About the hiatus and gradual decline of his career after Ramayan, he said,
I had started my career as a Hindi film hero and post-Ramayan, when I wanted to come back to Bollywood, the producers said, ‘Your image as Ram is so strong, we can’t cast you as someone else or give you a supporting role. ‘ They felt that I was not suitable for commercial films anymore. That became the biggest turning point in my career, and I realized that I couldn’t go back to showbiz like I wanted to. I took up a few TV shows, but every time I did something, people pushed me saying, ‘Arre, Ramji kya kar rahe hain.”
- In March 2020, in the midst of the Corona pandemic, a photo went viral on social media where he rekindled nostalgia simply by watching Ramayan on Doordarshan with his family. Ramayan is being telecasted again on Doordarshan, almost after 32 years of its original telecast in the late 80s.
Arun Govil watched Ramayan with his family
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
