Stars Life after NDTV Imagine's Ramayan (2008)

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Let’s take a look how the lead actors of the iconic mythological show Ramayan actually look like now.



It has been 12 Years since ‘Ramayan’ that was directed by Anand Sagar was first aired on TV. The audience fell in love with each character. But very few knew who the young artists were behind those roles. Thanks to time and the era of re-runs we are aware of names like Gurmeet Choudhary, Debina Bonnerjee, Ankit Arora, Daya Shankar Pandey, Akhilendra Mishra, Punkaj Kalraa and Vikram Mastal who have come far in their career. This mythological drama is reaching more people than ever before during its re-run on Dangal TV.

Let’s take a look how the lead actors actually look like now.

Gurmeet Choudhary as Ram




Debina Bonnerjee as Sita




Ankit Arora as Lakshman




Akhilendra Mishra as Ravana




Vikram Mastal as Hanuman




Daya Shankar Pandey as a Boatman




Anwar Khan as Bali and Sugreev




Punkaj Kalraa as King Dasharatha

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In Anand Sagar’s Ramayan, the scene when Shabri meets Lord Ram has been depicted beautifully. However, there is a back story about performing this sequence with Lord Ram, Gurmeet falling ill and being hospitalized.



When Lord Rama was in exile, he met Shabri. Shabri's real name was Shramana who belonged to the Bhil community. She was also one of the influential characters of Ramayana. In Anand Sagar’s Ramayan, the scene when Shabri meets Lord Ram has been depicted beautifully.

However, there is a back story about performing this sequence with Lord Ram, Gurmeet falling ill and being hospitalized.

Revealing details of the incident, Gurmeet said, “We shot for the Shabri sequence during the rainy season in Baroda and hence the team couldn’t find berries which were required for the scene. The team tried their best to search for berries but they instead ended up getting olives, since they resembled berries. While performing the sequence, I had to eat those olives assuming they were berries and I ended up eating so many of them, that it eventually led to food poisoning. Inspite of this, I managed to give the shot properly and later was hospitalized.”


Gurmeet’s dedication and hard work paid off and the show went on to become a hit. Anand Sagar’s Ramayan is entertaining million viewers once again.mRamayan, the epic tale of promises and ideologies is aired every evening at 7.30pm and repeat telecast at 9.30am only on Dangal channel.

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I was 30 feet off the ground with my costume & accessories which weighted 20kgs when the safety harness cable snapped - Vikram Mastal aka Hanuman

Vikram Mastal, who played the role of Hanuman, shares one such life-threatening incident from the sets of Anand Sagar’s Ramayan.



The upcoming track in Anand Sagar’s Ramayan which is currently airing on Dangal channel emphasizes on the importance of Lord Ram and Hanuman’s divine companionship. The most loved and crucial central character of Hanuman was played by actor Vikram Mastal.

When actors decide to take up certain roles which require a set of action sequences, a natural risk of safety is put forth. Vikram Mastal, who played the role of Hanuman, shares one such life-threatening incident from the sets of Anand Sagar’s Ramayan.

Recollecting the experience, Vikram Mastal, narrates, “Playing the role of Hanuman, was no less a challenge than it appeared. Since most of my scenes had to be aerial, I was always tied on a harness with cables. Our shoots would go on for long and therefore, I was always hanging on harness for hours. In addition to balancing myself, which was a task, I had to also manage my Mukut (head gear) which was around 8 kgs and the 12kg Gada. For one such sequence, where I was hanging around 30 feet above the ground in my costume, with all the accessories, an unfortunate accident happened. The cable wires of the harness couldn’t hold the weight and snapped. Luckily, around 8-10 crew members caught me in time and saved me from hitting the ground.”

Anand Sagar’s Ramayan is entertaining million viewers once again. The role of Hanuman in Ramayan is one of the most exciting bits as he is a steadfast devotee of Lord Ram and plays a major role in the battle against Ravan.

Ramayan, the epic tale of promises and ideologies is aired every evening at 7.30pm and repeat telecast at 9.30am only on Dangal channel.

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Debina Bonnerjee recollects how she felt while shooting for Ramayan!

Anand Sagar’s Ramayan is keeping the audience entertained on Dangal channel. Actress Debina Bonnerjee recollects how she felt while shooting for the show.



Anand Sagar’s Ramayan is keeping the audience entertained on Dangal channel. The mythological show gave birth to two television stars, Gurmeet Choudhary and Debina Bonnerjee due to their on screen avatar as Lord Ram and Goddess Sita who then went on to become a real life couple.

When asked about sharing an anecdote from the sets, Debina stated “Its difficult to summarize two beautiful years of the shoot as every moment spent was memorable. Watching the show now is like having a memory rush. I vividly remember the first time I got dressed as Sita and as a vanvasi, the lack of a vanity van and the heat- these were never a factor then as it was our first work. Now when all of these are present on set it makes me see them as a luxury which we didn't have back then yet we managed to deliver such a fantastic show. We would practically shoot inside a real jungle where we had to walk and go where the shot would be set up, it wasn't possible to have a vanity van in the middle of the jungle."

Talking about working on her Hindi diction, Debina said, “It took me a couple of months to get used to the language as we would speak in shudh Hindi and the character had a different kind of body language. Initially, I would just keep laughing, it was all very new to me."

Debina also revealed about shooting for the show for about 17-18 hours a day. She says, "It didn't take a toll on my health as we were all young, enthusiastic, and having a fantastic time. When you love your job I don't think shooting extra hours or shooting day-in and day-out should matter."
Anand Sagar’s Ramayan is entertaining million viewers once again.

Ramayan, the epic tale of promises and ideologies is aired every evening at 7.30pm and repeat telecast at 9.30am only on Dangal channel.

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Ramayan 2008: Gurmeet Choudhary felt the aura of Lord Ram while shooting for Jal Samadhi scene

Gurmeet Choudhary reminisces the samadhi of Lord Ram which was a very emotional moment for him.



Actor Gurmeet became a household name in 2008 by portraying the character of Lord Ram in Anand Sagar’s Ramayan. Since then he has been entertaining the audience through his work in the television and film industry. Currently, the show is re-airing on Dangal TV and while watching it Gurmeet recollects a lot of memories attached with the show.

Sharing one such magical moment, Gurmeet reminisces the samadhi of Lord Ram which was a very emotional moment for him.

Explaining his emotional moment, Gurmeet says, “By the end of the show, I got extremely attached to the character of Lord Ram. The most emotional moment for me was when Lord Ram takes samadhi in Sarayu river. It was a 20-minute scene in which Lord Ram comes along with the villagers and takes samadhi in Sarayu river. It was a little difficult to shoot in the flowing river. Around 4-5 cameras were fitted to capture the scene perfectly. This had to be a one-take shot. After immersing myself in the river, I had to hold my breath for a few seconds. Since it was a dangerous scene, I witnessed death very closely. In such a scenario we start recollecting all our old memories. Since I was associated with the show for a very long period, I began recollecting every moment from the set. As soon as I took a dip, I felt the aura of Lord Ram and felt as if he himself was standing in front of me. It felt that Lord Ram came to bless me for my work. It felt like a sense of achievement.“

Gurmeet’s dedication and hard work paid off and the show went on to become a hit.


Anand Sagar’s Ramayan is entertaining millions of viewers once again. Ramayan, the epic tale of promises and ideologies is aired every evening at 7.30pm and repeat telecast at 9.30am the following day only on Dangal channel.