Arun Govil during campaigning
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded actor Arun Govil, who essayed the role of Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar's mythological drama Ramayan, from the Meerut Lok Sabha seat in western Uttar Pradesh. Mr Govil, who joined the BJP in 2021, was born in Meerut and replaces the party's sitting MP Rajendra Agarwal.
Here are some facts about Arun Govil:
1. Arun Govil was born on January 12, 1952, in Meerut. He earned an engineering degree from the Chaudhary Charan Singh University. During his college days, he participated in dramas and stage shows. His father Chandra Prakash Govil was a government officer.
2. In 1975, he moved to Mumbai to join his brother's business but soon realised it was not for him. He then decided to pursue acting. Arun Govil's big break came with the 1977 film Paheli, where he impressed director Tarachand Barjatya. This led to a three-film deal, including hits like Sawan Ko Aane Do (1979) and Saanch Ko Aanch Nahin (1979).
3. Arun Govil made his TV debut in 1987 with Ramanand Sagar's Vikram Betaal and eventually shot to fame with Ramayan. The show made him a household name. He also provided the voice for Ram in Yugo Sako's Indo-Japanese animation film Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama (1992).
4. In the 1980s, Arun Govil campaigned for Congress, but it took him decades to take a plunge in active politics.
5. Arun Govil met his wife Shreelekha, a textile designer, early in his acting career. They have two children, Sonika and Amal.