Ramanand Sagar’s popular TV series Ramayana, has garnered huge viewership within a week, as people stay home because of the lockdown in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis and turn to consume more entertainment as per the reports.
How Did It Go?
The mythological epic garnered 51 million viewers on Sunday evening in the first weekend of the telecast, the highest ever figure for the Hindi GEC (general entertainment channel) genre since 2015, according to data from television monitoring agency BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council).
Further, the show further notched up 34 million, 45 million and 40 million viewers on Saturday morning, evening and Sunday morning respectively over the same weekend.
Also, it is highest rated in urban centers and mega-cities.
First time, Ramanand Sagar’s popular TV series Ramayana, aired in the 1980s, has garnered huge viewership within a week, as people stay home because of the lockdown in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis and turn to consume more entertainment.
What Is The History Behind This Epic Series?
Earlier Ramayana, aired during 1987-88, is a drama adaptation of the Hindu epic of the same name, and is primarily based on Valmiki’s Ramayan and Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas.
That time, it had garnered a massive audience, with its stars gaining near idolatry status.
It used to telecast every Sunday, with Arun Govil as Ram and Dara Singh as Hanuman, the classic used to empty out streets.
This series has such appeal that a remake by Sagar’s company was aired on NDTV Imagine in 2008, and on Zee TV in the mid-90s and on Star Plus and Star Utsav in the 2000s.
Which Are Other Series Currently Airing?
Ramayana is not the only series which is currently airing, the other mythological epic Mahabharat, state-run broadcaster Doordarshan has further expanded on its slew of nostalgic offerings to keep viewers engaged at this time.
Apart from that, the classics revived by the network are historical dramas Chanakya directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi on the life of the economist, and Upanishad Ganga produced by Chinmaya Mission Trust, again directed by Dwivedi.
Not only that, other shows planned, starting the first week of April, are the daily one-hour telecast of superhero series Shaktimaan featuring Mukesh Khanna, Shrimaan Shrimati, a comedy starring Reema Lagoo, Rakesh Bedi and Jatin Kanakia for an afternoon slot, Shah Rukh Khan’s Circus, detective show Byomkesh Bakshi, drama show Hum Hain Na and sitcoms Tu Tota Main Maina and Dekh Bhai Dekh.
The trend of television consumption is on the rise as the lockdown continues.
Since people are staying at home and television broadcasters are running out of fresh content, reviving classic shows seems to be a common recourse.
You can watch Ramayan on Doordarshan, and if you want to watch Doordarshan without the Internet, go through the links below.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.