Dara Singh was one of the pioneer athletes in India. However, he left his career in professional wrestling by the 1950s and started off with his career in acting. After doing a lot of work as a stunt man, it was in Ramanand Sagar’s magnum opus, the rendition of the great mythology, Ramayan with which Dara Singh got immense fame. Well, the talented artist essayed the role of ‘Hanuman’, thereby delivering a performance that people remember even today. But did you know, he was quite sceptical about pulling off such a role? Well, read on to know more about this unheard anecdote.
In a recent interaction with Siddharth Kannan, Vindu Dara Singh shared some unheard anecdotes about his father, Dara Singh. The doting son revealed that his father was initially quite sceptical about accepting the role of ‘Hanuman’, as he believed people would laugh at him over his age. Moreover, the late actor felt he didn't possess the well-built body anymore, and so, any young actor apart from him would fit the bill for the character. In his words:
“Ramanand Sagar had decided that he wanted to take my father in the role of Hanuman. He had locked Arun Govil for the role of Lakshman. So, my father told me that we have to say no to this role. He said, ‘I can’t do this role in this age because people will laugh. We went to his house and the whole family was sitting on the table. Ramanand Sagar told my father, ‘Tara get ready.’ My father said, ‘Papaji koe young ladke ko lelo mein nahi kar sakta Hanuman ji iss umar mein. Mein varjish bhi nahi karta.”
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Moving further in the conversation, Vindu Dara Singh remarked that there was a special reason due to which his father, Dara Singh finally agreed to take up the role of ‘Hanuman’. He mentioned that his father was convinced by Ramanand Sagar, who stated that it was God’s order for the selected cast to be essaying the roles assigned. He said:
“Ramanand Sagar told my father that you can’t ignore God’s order. He explained that he had already signed the whole cast but he got a dream in which he saw Arun Govil in the role of Lord Ram, Dipika Chikhlia in the role of Sita and my father in the role of Lord Hanuman. He said, ‘Now this is God’s order.”
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In a previous interaction with Koimoi, Vindu Dara Singh recalled the days when his father, Dara Singh would be essaying the role of ‘Hanuman’ in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan. The former remarked that his father became so dedicated and serious with his role, that he even gave up on non-vegetarian food while shooting the show. Moreover, he revealed that his father, Dara Singh used to take an hour to get ready in the costumes, and wouldn’t consume anything other than coconut water for lunch.
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What do you think about Dara Singh’s scepticism on essaying ‘Hanuman’ in Ramayan? Let us know.
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