Eternal saga unfolds for Ayodhya ki Ramlila viewers

AYODHYA: There is absolute silence, as an audience watches in rapt attention Parashuram, played by actor turned BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, admonishing King Janak of Mithila for the dismantling of Lord Shiv's bow. "... Bhagwan Shankar ka yeh dhanush kisne toda, kisne is swayamvar mein Sita se nata joda...jaldi bata warna..."
On a bone-chilling Saturday evening, the venue is Dharm Path, in Ayodhya, where a galaxy of entertainers has descended to perform in Ayodhya ki Ramlila, ahead of the consecration ceremony scheduled at the Ram temple on Jan 22.
Rahul Butcher, who plays Prince Ram, responds in all humility with "Woh Shiv ka pyara hi hoga jisne aisa apradh kiya hoga...woh das tumhara hi hoga...", drawing applause and cheers from the viewers braving the icy winds, yet warming up in the heat of the dramatic moment.

One of the producers of Ayodhya-Ki-Ramleela, Subhas Malik, said, "Several actors from theatre, TV shows and films and are performing here voluntarily. Mamta Jain, who is playing Sita, has been a theatre artist in Delhi for the last 10-years and was seen in the film 'Badhaai Do' and will be seen with Nawazuddin Siddiqui in upcoming film 'Noorani Chehra'. Our Ravan is Manish Sharma, an actor from Crime Patrol." Manish Sharma told TOI, "Last year, during Deepotsav, I played Meghnad and this time I got the role of Ravan."
The Ramlila organiser claimed that in the 2022 deepotsav, over 36 crore people watched Ayodhya Ki Ramlila on TV. The Ramlila this time started on Saturday evening and was to continue till Sunday morning.
A human resources leader, who climbed Mount Everest base camp last year and is Mrs India Pride of Nation 2023, Jasnit Kaur of Chandigarh, said, "I have been associated with Ayodhya Ki Ramlila for three years and I am playing queen Kekayi for the second time." Classical dancer Pratibha Parekh, who came from Jaipur, has been part of the group for the last two years and has played multiple roles, including of Mandodari, Sulochna, Vedmati and others. Another artist Ved Sagar played the role of Prince Bharat last year and got the role of Laxman this time.