Hanuman Jayanti Special: Dara Singh’s Special Association With Hanuman

The legendary Dara Singh was the screen-face of Lord Hanuman. It didn’t start with Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan. That came much later in1987. In 1976 the very reputed director Chandrakant made a feature film called Bajrang Bali in which he cast Dara Singh as Hanuman. The film was a blockbuster, and Dara became a household name as Pavan Putra Hanuman.

Ramanand Sagar had a dream one night where he saw Dara Singh as Hanuman. Dara Singh was summoned and offered the role. Of course he had no choice. Dara was 60 and after years of wrestling, his knees and shoulders had begun to trouble him. "But Ramanand Sagar insisted and my father had no choice but to play Hanuman," said Vindoo Dara Singh, his son.

Ramayan made Dara Singh the face of Hanuman.

Vindoo recalls, “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 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, Vindoo is happy for the Sagars that Ramayan worked so well. “I remember as a child I’d go to visit one of Papaji's (Ramanand Sagar} 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.”

Ramanand Sagar's son Moti Sagar who co-directed Ramayan with his father recalls the experience. “We chose Dara Singhji for the role because we needed an actor with the moral and physical stature. Daraji was as tall in spirit as he was in his physical height. After our serial, he became the face of Hanuman for all times. It's not just about suiting the role. The actor has to have the goodness and the sincerity. Daraji had both. His level of dedication had to be seen to be believed. The mouth prosthetic that he used to play Hanuman would keep him off food for the entire day sometimes for 16-17 hours at a stretch. While playing Hanuman, he couldn't eat a morsel. And he could only sip water with a straw.He went through this routine for close to two years without any complaint. His stardom as Hanuman and as a wrestler and an actor was staggering.”