She played Sita on national television in 1987. People still touch her feet at airports. And now, nearly four decades later, Deepika Chikhalia has watched the teaser for the biggest ‘Ramayana’ film ever made, and she is not worried.
Speaking to IANS while promoting her upcoming film ‘Tera Mera Nata’, Deepika Chikhalia addressed the question everyone wanted to ask her: what does the original TV Sita think of Sai Pallavi playing the role on the big screen?
Her answer was straightforward. “Both are very good actors. I have seen Sai Pallavi’s work and she is a phenomenal actress. Ranbir Kapoor is also an excellent actor. I am sure both of them will portray their characters very beautifully,” she said.
She also spoke about why the Ramayana as a story can sustain being retold across generations. “Ramayan is a story that can be retold in every era in a new way. It has been made before and it will continue to be made because its foundation rests on faith and values,” she said.
Why people still bow to her
Deepika has been recognised as Sita for close to four decades now. She said people still bow to touch her feet when they see her, and it took her time to understand why.
“Initially, it was difficult for me to understand why people would touch my feet. But later I realised that they were not expressing reverence for Deepika, they were expressing their devotion towards Sita Mata. I respect their emotions. It is their love and faith,” she said.
She also reflected on what the role has meant to her personally. “It is my good fortune that I got the opportunity to portray such a character. People have given me immense love and acceptance,” she added.
What the original Ramayan was
Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan aired on Doordarshan starting in 1987. It ran every Sunday and went off air in 1988. The show starred Arun Govil as Lord Ram, Sunil Lahri as Lakshman, Arvind Trivedi as Ravan, Dara Singh as Hanuman, and Deepika Chikhalia as Sita.
In an era when television sets were rare, the show famously brought streets to a standstill every Sunday morning as people gathered around whichever TV was nearby. In 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, Doordarshan re-telecast the show. It ran for over two months and drew massive viewership again, decades after it first aired.
The new ‘Ramayana’ film
The upcoming ‘Ramayana’ is a Hindi-language epic directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra under Prime Focus Studios. It is planned as a two-part film series. The combined budget of the two parts has been reported to be approximately ₹4,000 crore, making it among the most expensive pan-Indian productions ever.
The cast includes Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Sunny Deol as Hanuman, and Ravi Dubey as Lakshman. The film also features Amitabh Bachchan, Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, Rakul Preet Singh, and Anil Kapoor in supporting roles.
Arun Govil, who played Ram in the original 1987 television series, appears in the new film as King Dasharatha. Deepika Chikhalia had previously said in a separate interview that she found it emotionally difficult to see the original Ram in a different role.