The Luv-Kush Ramleela this year is bigger, better and on television too. MUSBA HASHMI tells you more
Come navratris and the traditional Luv-Kush Ramleela kicks off at Ramlila Maidan, every year bringing in bigger gizmos and wow value to the fare.
“The idea behind starting Luv-Kush Ramleela was to create a unique image of Ramlila. We felt that people were gradually going away from Ramlila so we gave it an essence of modern day to it so that more youngsters could connect with it,” Luv-Kush managing Committee head Ashok Agarwal explains.
“Youngsters are more into social media. After studying these trends, we decided to add more digital technology. Last year, more than nine lakh viewers watched Ramlila Live on YouTube, the highest number of viewers was from European countries and the rating kept on increasing,” he said.
Avtar Gill will portray Vibhishan, Ritu Shiv Puri will be Sita’s mother Sunaina. Shankar Sahni will be Guru Vashisht, Union Minister of State Vijay Sampla will be playing the character of Parvati’s father Himavan. This year, the Luv-Kush Ramleela will be highlighted for the National and international audience through television.
Big names that are a part of this year’s Ramlila are Angad Hasija who will play Lord Ram, Shilpa Raizada who will play Sita, Vindu Dara Singh, Rakesh Bedi, Raza Murad, Harshwardhan (Central Minister), Manoj Tiwari and Shahbaz Khan. There are a total of 1000 actors in different roles. The Ramlila will run for five hours every day.
The first edition of this Ramlila was the brainchild of his father Ram Kishan Gupta. “The first time when we organised Ramlila only 4,000 people came to see it and since then the number grows every year. This time, one lakh people are coming daily to see the grand fare,” he tells you.
“From day one, we wanted to make this Ramlila different from others and hum samaaj ke har ek hisse ko isse jodna chahate thhey. Therefore, we have introduced actors, TV stars and politicians too, to become a part of it. This Ramlila is an example of the modernisation that has taken place over the years. We have to grow with time. Earlier, Ramlila used to take place in open fields without technology and no proper seating arrangement. People used to bring their own mats to sit on. Then the organisers started providing mats and then came the concept of chairs, so it has evolved over time. And now we use cranes and LEDs in our Ramlila to make it look more realistic. At that time there was no concept of cranes so the flight of Lord Hanuman couldn’t be shown but now it is possible through cranes,” he says.
“Earlier we used to organise a lot of other activities like kavi sammellan and Satya-Narayan katha but for past four years, we have stopped all other programmes because we Ramlila should be in its purest form. We organise a fair alongside the Ramlila. There are about 40 shops in the fair, both high-end and low-price shops. The entry for the Ramlila requires passes which are distributed free of cost by our volunteers. Four people are allowed on one pass,” he explains.
The scripting this year has been done by Ashok Agarwal himself which is 400 pages. “Our committee has grown to 100 members. Around 2,000 people work as volunteers. The fund-raising is done by the committee members and general people who want to contribute through donations,” he tells you.
On day one, the entire cast of this year’s Luv-Kush Ramleela participated in a full dress rehearsal. Luxurious lights, charming dresses and a great sound system added to the glamour of this Epic.
Agarwal revealed that this time along with artists their performances, costumes Ramlila will be played in 14 different languages along with more digital technology.
The 40-year-old dance-drama which kick-started on October 10 will be showcased till October 21, 2018.
