“It didn’t start with  Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan. That came much later. In 1976  the very reputed director Chandrakant made a feature film called Bajrang Bali where he cast my father as Hanuman. The film was a blockbuster, something as big as Jai Santoshi Maa, and my father became a household name as Pavan Putra Hanuman,” says Vindu Dara Singh recalling his dad, the legendary Dara Singh’s association with the iconic show that has started being telecast again 

11 years later Ramayan happened. “Papaji, as we all called the kind Ramanand Sagarji decided to make the Ramayan. Though Dipika Chikhalia, was the first choice for Sita, Arun Govil was not the original choice for Rama. Papaji had someone else in mind for Rama. Arun Govilji was supposed to play some other role. But he insisted he  would play Rama. Papaji had a dream one night where he saw my father as Hanuman. Dad was summoned  and offered the role. Of course he had no choice. No one said no to Papaji. And of course Dad was still fit enough to   play Hanuman. But he was 60 and after years of wrestling his knees and shoulders had begun to trouble him. But Papaji insisted and my father had no choice but to play  Hanuman.”

Ramayan made Dara Singh the face of Hanuman. Recalls Vindu,  “It was my father until he was alive and then it was me. I was  first offered  the role of  Hanuman in  the serial Jai Veer Hanuman in in 1996. I was  hesitant  about slipping into a  role patented by my father.  But  I took up the challenge. Now I am invited to the Rama Leela  in  Delhi every year to play Hanuman. My most memorable  moment on  stage as  Hanuman  was when the PM Modiji  put a tikka on my head  before my performance. My best stint as Hanuman was in a Telugu film directed by the  legendary Bapu.”

More than anything, Vindu is happy for the Sagars that Ramayan worked so well. “I remember as a child I’d go to visit one of Papaji (Ramanand Sagar)’s grandchildren Jyoti. They had fallen on bad days after some of their feature  film like Romance and Bhagavat flopped. Ramayan put the Sagars  back on the map. Everyone connected with the serial became successful . Ramayan was blessed.My father later played  Hanuman just one more time in B R  Chopra’s Mahabharat. But very briefly.”