B-wood stars consume alcohol, indulge in immoral practices: Ayodhya seers oppose actors' Ramlila inclusion

Ayodhya, Sep 15: Nearly 100 seers in Ayodhya are against the Bollywood actors performing Ramlila during Navaratri in the temple town. On Tuesday, they met at Bada Bhakt Maal temple and decided to meet Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister asking him to ban the "immoral Ramlila."

Mahant Dharam Das, the priest of Hanuman Garhi temple, said that people seek the blessings of the performers at Ramlilas because of the strict moral discipline that they follow. "There is a special tradition of Ramlila in Ayodhya. Artistes who play the roles of Lord Ram, Mata Sita and other characters in traditional Ramlila, are respected by people. We bow before them. We cannot seek blessings from Bollywood actors who don't follow religious discipline," The Times of India quotes him as saying.

Mahant Awadhesh Das Shastri added that Bollywood actors eat non-vegetarian, drink alcohol and indulge in immoral practices. Another seer pointed out that the actors sported 'Mughaliya sherwani' and leather shoes on the stage, last year. "We want Ramlila to have essence of 'sanaatan dharm'. We do not want film personalities who have destroyed the Hindu religion," said Mahant Janmejay Sharan, chief priest of Bada Sthan temple.

The seers took the stand after Ayodhya Ramlila Committee performed bhumi pujan on Tuesday on the Saryu banks. Director of the event, Subhash Malik announced that this year too there will be a virutal Ramlila in which Bollywood actors will perform.

Director of the event, Subhash Malik that the event will be held without a live audience, but will be telecast live on Doordarshan and on social media platforms.

Actress Bhagyashree will be playing the role of Sita and the cast include Arbaaz Khan, Raza Murad, Avatar Gill, Bindu Dara Singh among others.

The star-studded event comprised of the 120-member crew from Mumbai and 85 artists, including actor-turned netas like Ravi Kishen and Manoj Tiwari, in 2020.