Ramayana, aired during 1987-88, is a drama adaptation of the Hindu epic of the same name, and is primarily based on Valmiki's Ramayan and Tulsidas' Ramcharitmanas. It had garnered massive audience, with its stars gaining near idolatory status. Telecast every Sunday, with Arun Govil as Ram and Dara Singh as Hanuman, the classic used to empty out streets. Such was the appeal that a remake by Sagar’s company was aired on NDTV Imagine in 2008, and on Zee TV in the mid-90s and on Star Plus and Star Utsav in the 2000s.