On Ram Navami, we find out how the lives of three actors and one director were transformed after they depicted the qualities of Lord Ram on the screen.
In an interview with The Free Press Journal, Actors Pawan Sharma, Anup Soni, Siddhant Issar, and Director Shiv Prem Sagar share their profound experiences. Reflecting on how their journeys shaped their perspectives, they offer unique insights into the spiritual and emotional impact of their work.
Excerpts from the interview
Why do you think you were chosen to play Lord Ram?
Pawan Sharma |
Pawan Sharma: It is thanks to the blessings of my parents and God that the Sagar family chose me for the role of Shri Ramji in their new TV show, Ramayan, which airs on Doordarshan. I believe I was chosen to play Ramji because of my deep respect for him. Also, my experience in theatre, regional films and in portraying Shivji in the past helped me bring authenticity and devotion to performance. Now I am praying that Prabhu blesses me with the strength to think like Ramji.
Anup Soni |
Anup Soni: I am currently portraying Lord Rama in a musical drama, Prem Ramayan made by writer-director Atul Satya Koushik. I feel he needed an actor with a face that was calm and controlled, a face devoid of arrogance. And I think the director thought that I would be able to look what they call in Hindi ‘soumya.’
Siddhant Issar |
Siddhant Issar: Four years ago, I played Ram in the Doordarshan TV show Jai Maa Vaishno Devi Ki for the Sagars. Since then, I have been only playing Bhagwan Ram! I have done four of those massive Ram Leelas in Delhi, where you perform in front of one lakh people and a telefilm as Ram. And we have staged my play Jai Shree Ram Ramayan in India and in six American cities. So it was a major blessing for me when the Sagars first gave me the opportunity to play Ram. I was chosen because of the blessings of Narayan and Ram Bhagwan. In our Puranas, Ram is described as having very broad shoulders, a big head, big eyes and eyelashes. They needed a certain look and maybe I met that requirement.
How did you prepare for the role?
Pawan: I worked on my posture and expressions to reflect his grace and composure. I enrolled for archery classes, acting workshops, Hindi recitation classes. Preparing for Ramji was also a spiritual journey. I read various texts about him, and meditation and self-reflection helped me connect with the character on a deeper level.
Anup: Prem Ramayan is about little-known love stories in the Ramayan — whether it is between mother-father, brother-sister, husband-wife or friends. For example, people are unaware that how much Lord Rama loved Kaikayi who has been depicted as a negative character but who also sacrificed. The basis of all relationships is love … so I kept that in mind while working out the sur of my portrayal and while delivering my lines. My tone should signify an abundance of love.
Siddhant: I poured over the concise versions of Tulsidas’ Ramayan and Valmikiji’s Ramayan. I visited Panchvati, near Nasik, which Ram had also visited. There, our family Pandit told me stories of Ram. My director and producer, Shiv Sagarji and Prem Sagariji also gave me a copy of Ramcharitmanas as well as guidelines regarding the walk, the posture, and the smile which I kept in mind.
How did playing Ram shape the way you think?
Pawan: I felt immense peace in my heart. I started seeing God in everyone. With time, I started internalizing Ramji’s virtues—his patience, his sense of justice, his compassion, and his commitment to duty and righteousness. While I always valued these qualities, playing this role reinforced them. Ramji’s journey was full of hardships, yet he never deviated from his principles. His ability to stay composed even in adversity inspires me the most. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to react impulsively, but Ramji teaches us to handle situations with wisdom and grace.
Anup: His values have been like a teaching in my life and I have always practiced them. We are all aware of Bhagwan Ram’s teachings, having read about them since childhood. My policy in life is to imbibe everything positive from whatever I’m doing in life. Lord Rama knew how to lead from the front, he always fulfilled his duty to his people and his family. And his love for his parents is exemplary. But besides being aware of the teachings, one has to keep implementing Lord Rama’s values into one’s life.
Siddhant: I was only 25 years old when I first played Ram. I was very impulsive, a bit aggressive as a sportsman and highly competitive. But after playing Ram Bhagwan, I’ve automatically become more patient. There is thairav now. Earlier, I was a very different person. I used to react. Now I don’t react, I act. Because the Ramayan shows that Ramji always took decisions after a lot of thought while Ravan was a very reactive person. The value I hold dearest of Ramji’s is his ability to fight against the odds. Ramji was a prince, yet he went bare feet for banwas, exile, for 14 years. I have learned from Ramji that you have to work hard, you have to struggle.
Director: Shiv Prem Sagar
I was only 10 years old when my grandfather, filmmaker Ramanand Sagar, made the famous Ramayana for Doordarshan TV back on the 1980s. I still remember being woken up at 9 am on Sunday mornings with the words, “Wake up, Ramayan is being made in your own house, and you are still sleeping!” We would all sit in front of the television screen and watch the legendary Ramayan series with fascination.
And now I am directing Ramayan for our production house, Sagar World. Doordarshan has given us the opportunity to be part of the team that will rebuild its past glory. And what better way to do so than with the untold stories of Kakbhusundi Ramayan, told by the crow-saint Kakbhusundi to Garuda.
My family has a special connection to Ram. The day the show was approved by Doordarshan, I felt blessed. I believe my personal knowledge of spirituality is very important for this show. I used to be agnostic but due to some personal spiritual experiences, I became a believer. I was educated in the English medium which emphasised the rational mind, but my family is spiritual. I do my japa regularly — just like we take a bath for our physical body, mind exercises are mandatory to clean the mind.
I love the calm and composed nature of Ram. He never obstructs the natural flow of life and nature. He takes everything in with a smile because nothing is permanent anyway, it’s all a maya or an illusion/matrix.
