Zee TV readies for Ravana, the real hero

Our Sunday dose of television was incomplete without the mythological dose of Ramayana where Lord Rama, fights evil, emerges as the real hero and is worshipped by one and all. But have you ever imagined Ravana being termed as a hero too! Come November, the telly audience will witness the launch of a new show Ravana, not on the lines of a mythological show but as a historical drama! To be directed by Ranjan Singh and backed by Film and Shots Productions (they have shows like Time Bomb and Pancham to their credit), this show is slated for Zee TV's prime time slot of 9 pm on Sundays. Divulging the details of the show, writer Chandan Singh explains "Ravan has been portrayed in a negative light so far. He is known as Sita's kidnapper but what people don't know is that he was a big pandit and a powerful man. His real persona has been hidden from the audience and in this show you will see him as a warrior, a real hero!" "The show will depict the political conspiracies in his life, which has been shot very authentically," says the writer who has also penned for serials like Apradhi and Bhanwar. Coming to the star cast, a host of actors have been zeroed in for this mega venture, namely Ravee Gupta, Rajendra Gupta, Narendra Jha, Deepraz Rana, Diwakar Pundir and Ujjwal Rana. This is the first time ever that Ravee will get to share the screen space with her father Rajendra Gupta (he will play her on screen father too). "I am nervous as well as excited about working with my dad and can't wait for the shoot to roll." Talking about her character she says, "I play mother to the young Ravan who grows big to become the greatest warriors of all times. The show will depict the human aspect of Ravan and his life. It's a not a run-of-the-mill character so I picked it up. I will don three distinct avatars - a tribal look before my marriage, an apsara look during my courtship and a royal look with all the finery when I become a mother," smiles Ravee, who currently has Virasaat in her kitty and is all set to tie the knot with actor Manoj Bidwai in January. Will this venture make the viewers re-think about Ravana's image? Will he be worshipped like Rama and other mythological heroes? Lets wait and watch !