AYODHYA: The grand Ramlila being staged in the temple town this year with several noted stars of the tinsel town playing various roles is turning out to be a huge success, with its organisers claiming the viewership across different media platforms has crossed 10 crore.
The nine-day Ramlila being staged at Laxman Qila, a grand temple on the banks of river Saryu, is being live-streamed and has registered a big following with famous Bollywood stars as well as actors-turned-politicians essaying key roles. This year, Ramlila is being telecast in 14 scheduled languages of India, including Urdu.
Subhash Malik, the director of Ramlila, told TOI, “Ayodhya has now another record in its name, as the viewership of the Ramlila staged here has crossed the 10-crore viewership mark in just six days. We have taken into account the viewership on Doordarshan, YouTube, other television channels and social media and found it has exceeded 10 crore and is set to increase further.”
No spectators were allowed to watch Ramlila physically this year due to Covid curbs. The Ramlila was instead live-streamed. Big LED screens were installed at different places and mobile vans sent to remote areas in villages to enable people watch the epic show.
Besides Bollywood actors like comedian Asrani, Raza Murad, Shahbaz Khan, Avtar Gill, Rajesh Puri, Rakesh Bedi, Vindu Dara Singh, and actor-turned-MPs Manoj Tewari, Ravi Kishan, a 120-member crew from Bombay is taking care of production, while a 55-member Doordarshan team is shooting the Ram Lila from nine different angles to make it a great experience for viewers.
“There will be ‘Ravan Dahan’ on October 25 for which a 100-foot effigy of Ravana is being prepared. We have sent an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be the chief guest on this occasion,” said director Subhash Malik.