MUMBAI: Actor Arun Mandola, who has played Lakshman in the show Vighnaharta Ganesh and is again playing Lakshman in the show Sankatmochan Mahabali Hanuman, says he is quite happy being part of the mythological genre.

“It’s been around four years since I have been playing Lakshman on TV in two different serials. But if you ask me, I am pretty okay about being typecast. In fact, I feel that getting typecast in mythological shows is a blessing for me. Not only is there so much scope in such shows, if we see, ever since Devon Ke Dev Mahadev became a hit on TV, which happened almost a decade ago, shows in the genre have been doing pretty well on the small screen. So what is the harm if I play a character or I am a part of the genre for a long time? This only means that I have made a space for myself in a particular genre in the minds of the makers.”, says Arun. 

Arun was also in Ayodhya recently as a celebrity guest as Lakshman for the Deepawali celebrations. “I felt really honoured to be coming to Ayodhya dressed as Lakshman and being felicitated by the UP CM Yogi Adityanath. I was called last year too but at that time I couldn't make it because of professional commitments. The celebrations were huge and I loved the whole experience.”, he expressed.

Also Read: Gear up for Shakti Kapoor and Chunky Pandey's entertaining presence at The Kapil Sharma Show

Arun, who is a Sanskrit graduate, always wanted to be an actor. “I was a very shy kid and as luck would have it, my interest in acting rose after watching a Ramleela in Delhi, my hometown. But I was too shy to face the public, though I always had acting ka keeda within me.”.

“It’s a very strange story. I have done MA in Astrology from Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Sanskrit Vidyapeeth in Delhi. So while I was studying astrology, my whole focus remained on studying my own horoscope. And what I found out during that time was that my planets were favourable to become an actor. That’s what gave me the confidence to try my luck in Mumbai, and here I am today – from an astrologer to an actor,” he shares regarding his transformation from an astrologer to an anchor.

Also Read: Newlyweds Neha Kakkar and Rohanpreet Singh to be Kapil Sharma's guest on his comedy show

Credit: Bombay Times