New Delhi. Be it TV or cinema, the lead hero and heroine are often discussed years after the release of the show or film. But, people rarely remember the characters who play side roles. There are many stars who played the biggest roles but are living a life of obscurity today. Do you remember that Muslim actor who played not 1-2 but 11 characters in Ramayana? He also played dozens of roles in the TV show ‘Shri Krishna’. Sometimes he was a sage, sometimes a courtier but suddenly he disappeared.
Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan came on TV in the year 1987. Since then, people are fans of this show. This show got a lot of love from the people. Grandparents used to tell the stories of this serial of their time to the children. But, when today’s children watched this serial again during Corona, then they realized why it is really in the headlines from that time till today. The actors of the show including Arun Govil and Deepika Chikhalia gained popularity and are still getting respect. They have a massive fan following. But, one actor in it had played dozens of roles, but now he has become anonymous. Who is this actor, let us tell you…
Aslam Khan is a resident of Jhansi
Actually, here we are talking about a Muslim actor from Jhansi who played many characters in Ramayana, whose name is Aslam Khan. He was seen in different roles in Ramayana. In an interview given to BBC News Hindi, he talked about his acting experience in Ramayana. He told that he played the role of monkey informer ‘Raja Tukaram’ and ‘Sugriva’. Aslam said that his main character in all the roles was ‘Samudra Devta’. He also told how he got these roles in Ramayana.
Aslam Khan has played many roles in one show. Photo courtesy-X
Auditioning for Ramayana was not easy
According to Aslam, one of his close friends Vijay Gavesh had informed him about the Ramayan audition. Aslam had told how the audition was not an easy task. He said that Ramanand Sagar used to consider many aspects before giving a role to someone. He recalled that the late director had asked him to play the role of ‘Sant Tukaram’ after seeing him. After this, Aslam also played other roles in Ramayan.
Dozens of characters played in many shows
Ramanand Sagar’s son Prem Sagar once revealed why Aslam was cast in different roles. According to Prem, they faced financial constraints and that is why some junior artists were repeated. After Ramayan, Aslam played lead roles in famous shows like Alif Laila, Shri Krishna, Suryaputra Karna, Mashaal and Hawayein. He has also played dozens of characters in ‘Shri Krishna’, in which he sometimes becomes a ‘sage’, sometimes ‘Kans’s court Prime Minister’, sometimes a ‘cowboy’ and sometimes appears as a ‘fearsome demon’.
What is Aslam Khan doing now?
However, Aslam Khan could not achieve the fame he expected after the show and he decided to leave the industry in 2002. In an earlier interview to a portal, Aslam had said that he was not getting much work in the industry. Due to this, he started his own business. According to reports, he works in a marketing firm based in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.
Tags: Entertainment Special, Ramayan
FIRST PUBLISHED : June 16, 2024, 09:25 IST