Actor Arvind Trivedi who is well-known for playing the role of Ravan in Ramanand Sagar’s iconic television series Ramayan initially turned down the role and it was only on Paresh Rawal’s encouragement and insistence that he took up the part. In an interview, Trivedi’s granddaughter revealed that her grandfather was offered the part while he was working with Paresh on a play.
Trivedi’s granddaughter Dr. Aneri told a leading daily, “When Ramanand Sagar told him that he will be playing Ravan. Nana earlier rejected it because he was committed to the play. But then, it was Paresh Rawal ji himself who convinced Nana that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and that he should not give it a miss. He convinced and motivated him to take up the role and only then did he agree to do it.”
She further spoke about his popularity despite playing the negative character of Ravan and said, “People used to come and touch his feet and used to tell him that they are his die-hard fans.” She also recalled an incident when a couple asked the actor to bless their newborn child. When Trivedi was unable to personally visit them, he wrote back with the suggestion that they name their daughter Vaidehi and they happily complied.
Trivedi’s stellar act as Ravan earned him lots of acclaims and catapulted him to the heights of popularity. Aneri further said, “Nana (grandfather) is overjoyed and ecstatic with the feedback that he has been getting, especially from the youth. He even goes through the messages and posts on social media regarding Ravan and the show, and enjoys every bit of it." Recently, a picture went viral where the actor got emotional seeing the Sita Haran scene on TV as the serial had its re-run amid the Coronavirus lockdown.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
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