Mumbai, February 18 – Television personality Laxman, actor Sunil Lahiri, surprised fans on Wednesday when he showcased a special gift presented to him by the late legendary actor Dara Singh.
Sunil, through a video on his social media, displayed a classic-looking brown briefcase that was gifted to him by Dara Singh about 36 years ago. He highlighted that Singh had gifted it to him during their "Ramayan" days in the 1980s.
In the video, Sunil was heard speaking in Hindi, which translated to, "Greetings, friends.
Looking at this briefcase, you must be wondering where I'm going. No, I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here with you. There's a story behind this briefcase that I want to share."
He added, "I received this briefcase as a gift about 35-36 years ago. During our "Ramayana," Hanuman ji – Dara Singh ji – gave it to me in Africa, in Kenya. The capital is Nairobi, and that's where he presented it to me."
"There's a very interesting story connected to it. I'll share that story in my next post. Until then, take care of yourselves. Stay happy, stay healthy.
Jai Ram."
For the caption, he wrote, "A gift from the great Dara Singh, as Hanuman, which I have had for the past 35-36 years, has no value; it is priceless."
For those unfamiliar, the show "Ramayan" remains one of the most iconic television shows of all time. The cast of the show, immediately after its airing in the late 1980s, went on to receive massive fan followings and great success. The show starred Arun Govil as Lord Ram, Sunil Lahri as Lakshman, Arvind Trivedi as Ravan, Dara Singh as Hanuman, and Dipika Chikhlia as Sita.
The serial aired in 1987, ran for a year, and ended in 1988 on Doordarshan. The show, which aired every Sunday, would bring streets to a standstill back in the day, every Sunday, as viewers would flock to TV sets that were rare in the 1980s. In 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, the show "Ramayan" was re-telecast on Doordarshan and ran for over two months.