Ramayan returns: Onscreen Sita aka Dipika Chikhalia's then and now pictures will leave you amazed

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The mythological iconic series "Ramayan" will be back on the small screen to keep the entertainment quotient high during the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown. The shows lead actors Arun Govil and Deepika Chikhalia -- who played Ram and Sita -- feel the revisit will help people spend time amid positivity and also understand Indian culture, instead of fretting with negative thoughts. On Friday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar shared that Doordarshan will re-telecast the iconic show from Saturday on public demand.

Deepika Chikalia, who became immensely popular playing Sita, told IANS: "It is a very good feeling to know that the show is coming back. And also this is the right time when Prakashji decided to re-telecast it. People will get benefited. It is very important that people make use of the re-run and watch it, despite the presence of many channels. They should also utilise the lessons that they get from the show. Every one should value our culture."

Deepika also feels it will give another reason for people to stay indoors. "There must be something about the show that it is back on public demand. It is very important for people to watch it and use it as a medium to learn something. It is another reason to stay indoors and stay safe," said Deepika, who is overwhelmed with phone calls since the news has been announced.

Here's how onscreen Sita looks in real life now:

Talking about the show, 'Ramayan' is an Indian historical-drama epic television series, which aired during 1987-1988, created, written, and directed by Ramanand Sagar. The show was a television adaptation of the ancient Indian Hindu epic of the same name. The show was a game-changer for Indian television, hooking the nation to the show. Sunday mornings were never the same for families in India after the first episode of "Ramayan" aired on television.

The impact was such that the actors associated with the show, continue to live under the shadow of their characters, with people remembering them for the roles they played in the show, which narrated the life story of Lord Rama and Sita. The role of Lakshman was played by Sunil Lahiri, Hanuman by late Dara Singh, and Ravan by Arvind Trivedi. It also featured Sanjay Jog, late Vijay Arora, Sameer Rajda, late Mulraj Rajda, and late Lalita Pawar.

-With IANS inputs