Ramleela fervour set to take over in Capital

Another awaited iterations of the Ramleela is organised by the 102-year-old Shri Dharmik Ramleela Committee at Lal Qila Maidan.

It’s the much-beloved time of the year again, when residents across the city flock to catch a glimpse of an epic story of good prevailing over evil, the Ramleela, a live enactment of the Ramayana, which brings together renowned actors to portray complex characters or reprise roles they have played in popular shows and films.

Final rehearsals for the dance-drama at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra on Sunday. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)

However, the event this year, is not without controversy, as political parties have hit out at the choice of casting, objecting especially to model-actor Poonam Pandey playing the role of Mandodari, wife of Ravan by the Luv Kush committee. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticised the decision, saying she has not played any positive role.

Praveen Shankar Kapoor, chief spokesperson of the Delhi BJP and senior vice president of Luv Kush Ramleela Committee, alleged that Pandey is “recognised for her controversial actions.” Kapoor said that assigning a role to Pandey “does not align with the dignity and ethos of the Ramleela.”

In a response to news agency PTI, president of the Luv Kush committee, Arjun Kumar, said the role Pandey is playing will take the stage on September 29-30, and the organisers are open for discussion on the issue. “We don’t see anything wrong with a woman playing a character which represents goodness in the Ramleela. Everyone deserves a chance,” Kumar said.

Another awaited iterations of the Ramleela is organised by the 102-year-old Shri Dharmik Ramleela Committee at Lal Qila Maidan.

Among popular actors set to take the stage are Vindu Dara Singh, who will reprise the role of Hanuman, a character he has previously portrayed on TV. Actor Shahbaz Khan will play Ravan and TV actor Shilpa Raizada will play the role of Sita, Ravi Jain, press secretary of Shri Dharmik Ramleela Committee said.

To maintain law and order during the 11-day event, Delhi Police will provide additional security arrangements besides the 300 volunteers of the organising committee, Jain said.

At another Ramleela organised by Luv Kush Committee,Arjun Kumar, the president of the committee, said actor Rajesh Puri will play the role of Janak and actor Malhar Pandya will feature as Hanuman. Actress Riney Arya will play the role of Sita. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari has been invited to play the role of Parashuram, Kumar said.

According to the organisers, they have planned a magnificent stage for the event this year. “We have constructed a 160-foot-long and 60-foot-wide Ramleela stage with 125,000 LED lights which is themed upon the famous Somnath temple of Gujarat,” Kumar said, adding that more than 500 artists, including actors are currently working for the epic.

Rahul Sharma, press secretary of the 68-year-old Nav Shri Dharmik Leela committee, which holds Ramleela in the forecourt of Red Fort, said that they are bringing in new technology to showcase the legend, aiming to bridge traditional and modern age gap. “We already use original gold crown and jewellery in our Ramleela but for the first time we will be using AI based videos and graphics to present a more realistic depiction of the epic. Further, cut-outs of Operation Sindoor will also be installed in the ground,” he said.

Besides the top popular ones, many other Ramleelas are being organised around Delhi to celebrate the festival. In northeast Delhi, Vishnu Avtar Ramleela Committee is celebrating its 25th year, general secretary Diwakar Pandey said. “This time the effigy’s height will be up to 70 feet and we are going to live stream the entire Ramleela,” Pandey said.

Sandip Bindal, president of the Indraprastha Ramleela Committee in Patparganj, said that like every year, this year too they will burn a fourth effigy “Aaj ka Ravan” — besides the three effigies of Ravan and his brothers Meghnath and Kumbhkaran — signifying social evil.

“Burning these effigies signifies that these evils need to be eradicated from society. This year’s nominated factors for ‘Aaj ka Ravan’ are Trump Tariff, illegal religious conversion, and the Pahalgam terror attack. The final fourth effigy is decided by a voting mechanism by the committee and other people during the first eight days of Ramleela and then on the final day it is burned,” Bindal said.

A theatrical “Broadway-style” event with a run time of three hours will be organised by the Aryan Heritage Foundation in Pitampura throughout the 11-days event.

Anil Garg, general secretary of the foundation said this year marks 10th year of them organising the Ramleela. “It’s a three-hour stage production using elaborate sets and cinematic effects. The incentive of waiving electricity charges by up to 1,100 units will also help us in making the event cost-effective,” Garg said.