In 2019, Siddharth Kumar Tewary conceptualised a mythological show based on Ramayana titled Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush. The show was mounted on a massive scale, with reports claiming that each episode had a budget of Rs 4 crore when it went on the floors
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Mid-Day reported that the total production cost of Ra Siya Ke Luv Kush was a whopping Rs 650 crore, higher than any Indian show or film before or since
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Several big Indian films – RRR (Rs 500 crore), Brahmastra (Rs 400 crore), and Jawan (Rs 300 crore) had budgets way less than this TV series. Porus, a TV show with a reported budget of Rs 500 crore was its closest competitor for years
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In 2023, a film that was also based on Ramayana – Adipurush – became the most expensive Indian film with a reported budget of Rs 550 crore. It was still less than the total cost of Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush. Pan-India film Kalki 2898 AD took the mantle from Adipurush with a budget of Rs 600 crore but Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush’s mark remains untouched
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The show saw controversy during its initial airing when the Valmiki community in Punjab sought a ban on it or representing a disfigured fact on the Sage Valmiki. The protests grew violent and a man was shot dead in September 2019. Following this, Punjab CM banned the show in the state. After the makers went to court and offered to delete the offensive sections, the Punjab and Haryana High Court set aside the ban in October
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Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush was based on Uttar Ramayana. It starred Himanshu Soni as Lord Rama and Shivya Pathania as Sita, along with Krish Chauhan and Harshit Kabra as Luv and Kush respectively. The show aired for 141 episodes from August 2019 to its conclusion in February 2020
