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    On public demand, Ramanand Sagar's 'Ramayan' returns to Doordarshan during Covid-19 lockdown

    Synopsis

    While Ramayan will be telecast twice from Saturday onward, the scheduling of Circus and Byomkesh Bakshi is still being worked out. Mahabharat, Chanakya and Upanishad Ganga will be telecast on DD Bharati.

    Untitled-11Agencies
    First aired on Doordarshan in 1987, 'Ramayan' featured Arun Govil in the role of Lord Ram and Deepika Chikhaliya in the role of Sita.
    NEW DELHI: A team of experts is busy enhancing the visual quality of Ramanand Sagar’s television serial Ramayan, which is set to be telecast on Doordarshan (DD) after more than three decades, along with other popular classics such as BR Chopra’s Mahabharat, as part of a special initiative by Prasar Bharati during the nationwide lockdown.

    Detective series Byomkesh Bakshi and Circus, featuring then newcomer actor Shah Rukh Khan, are among the TV serials scheduled to be telecast on DD channels in the next few days.


    On Thursday, I&B minister Prakash Javadekar asked officials to come up with ideas that can “educate, inform and entertain” the audiences and also send across a positive vibe. “Revival of old serials on DD is part of the same strategy,” said an official.

    “The format in which the serial (Ramayan) has been stored is being enhanced for better broadcast quality,” said a senior official, who did not wish to be identified.

    “It was shot in low band using digibeta tools, which have been obsolete now for over 15-20 years. Now, it is all digital and advanced chip-based formats. We have retrieved the content for 50 episodes and are working on the rest of the content now. The changes will not affect the experience of the viewers as the serial will retain its essence, according to the official. “The music, the frames, everything remains the same,” he said.



    Efforts are also being made to get Buniyaad, Mashal and Malgudi Days scheduled for viewing in the coming days, said officials. DD National will telecast Ramayan, Circus and Byomkesh Bakshi.

    While Ramayan will be telecast twice from Saturday onward, the scheduling of Circus and Byomkesh Bakshi is still being worked out. Mahabharat, Chanakya and Upanishad Ganga will be telecast on DD Bharati. “The scheduling of all other shows is being planned across DD National and DD Bharati. We are mindful of timings and important news breaks on DD News and DD India,” said the official cited earlier.

    PM Modi had imposed a national lockdown from Tuesday for 21days to contain the Covid-19 spread and said no one must leave their homes during this period, except those engaged in maintaining essential services.



    ( Originally published on Mar 27, 2020 )
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