Arun Mandola reveals, 'It shocked me when Prabhas did our aarti'

A recent video is doing the rounds of Arun Govil being worshipped at the airport. He is known to play the role of Lord Ram. Actor Arun Mandola, who has played the role of Lakshman in Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanumaan as well as Vighnaharta Ganesh, says that he has also had such experiences.

He shares, “I have seen that video where people are touching Arun sir’s feet and the same thing happens with me as well. Recently, I went to Delhi for an event where I was playing Lakshman and people were touching my feet. When I tried to stop them, they were not ready to stop and were happy to do this. Even my mother was touching my feet and when I tried to tell her that I was just playing this character she was not ready to listen!”

He adds, “It shocked me when the T-series owner and actor Prabhas along with Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal were doing our aarti. This is the devotion in India where people worship you like a real God. Then I realised this is God’s wish and I should go with the flow. Yes, it’s difficult to handle people but we can’t stop people because you can stop one or two people, but you can’t stop a long que. When I was finalised for Lakshman that day was the golden day of my life because this type of character makes you immortal.”

When asked if he has any role models, Arun explains, “Some people feel the need for it to set a benchmark and motivate themselves and some people don’t believe in the concept of a role model. I have many role models in my life. My first lesson is from Buddha. I remember when I was in Class 9, I was not in that position to make the right decision but yes my focus was 100 per cent clear that I want to be an actor. I knew my family wouldn't allow it as I have lots of family responsibilities so I had no choice but to kill my ambitions and dreams. Once I was listening to some speech and some person was saying, ‘Aatma deepo jyotir bhava’ and then he described that Buddha said, ‘Listen to your soul’s voice’. That Buddha mantra has changed my life and today I am an actor.”

On a parting note, Arun concludes, “There are a lot of things I learned from people who surround me. My friends, enemies, and relatives… I picked good lessons from all of them and applied them in my life. I live in India where legends are born so I have lots of role models in my life including my parents.”