'Ramayan' to premiere on NDTV Imagine from Jan 21

Mumbai, Jan 4 (UNI) Ramayana serial days will be back on your television screens when NDTV Imagine premieres 'Ramayan' - a brand new series based on the Valmiki mythology epic and Tulsidas' Ramcharitmanas on January 21.

Speaking to mediapersons here, NDTV Imagine CEO Sameer Nair said, ''Ramayan is a tale for every generation. It is multi-layered, multi-faceted, multi-dimensional and this brand new daily version of the timeless classic has been interpreted to cater to the taste of a shining, modern India. Television is all about great stories well told, and for us, Ramayan is India's greatest story ever and we hope to re-tell it in a compelling, entertaining manner.'' Produced by Sagar Arts, the family that introduced mythology on television, this age old classic is retold with grand sets, new star cast and lilting music.

The entire production is being executed at Sagar Film City in Baroda where grand sets have been erected to depict key areas in the kingdom of Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Ram. This new version has the advantage of being produced in times of huge technical advancements which will greatly enhance the story telling in a compelling new way.

The characters in Ramayan will be essayed by a new generation of actors - Gurmeet Choudhary will play the lead of Lord Ram, while Debina Bonnerjee plays Sita. The three key characters - Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughan will be played by Ankit Arora, Vije Bhatia and Lalit Negi respectively.

Some of the country's best talent is associated with the show: The music of Ramayan has been composed by Ravindra Jain The extravagant sets have been designed by renowned art director Omang Kumar, celebrated designer Nisha Sagar has created the costumes and accessories and Kavita Krishnamurthy and Suresh Wadkar have lent their voices for the title track.

Commenting on the show announcement, Prem Sagar said, ''Ramayan like river Ganga is sacred, timeless and immeasurable. A dip in the values of idealism and sacrifice embodied in Ramayan is like a bath in the Ganga that purifies your thought, speech and action and washes away all evil gathered. Twenty years ago, our father Dr Ramanand Sagar created a revolution through a blockbuster show.

Now we, the second and third generation, hope to recreate the same magic''.

NDTV Imagine will hit TV screens on January 21.

UNI LS SR KN1648