Exclusive! ‘Arvind Trivedi and I kept planning to meet last year,' says Ramayan co-star Dipika Chikhlia

Dipika Chikhlia Topiwala. Picture courtesy/PR

Dipika Chikhlia Topiwala who played Sita in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan, that also featured the late Arvind Trivedi as Ravan, speaks to mid-day.com about the person behind the actor.

Dipika recalls, "He was a very helpful person, yet very professional. Not professional from the point of view that ‘tum apna kaam karo main apna.' When I say professional, I mean he was very dedicated when given his lines. He was religious by nature, he would do his Shiv tandav stotram. Later he was also one of the reasons I joined BJP and we were in Lok Sabha together."

Dipika, who paid her last respects at the cremation today, says, "The sad part is all of last year, we kept planning to meet along with Laxman (Sunil Lahri), but it didn't happen. His speech had slurred and he wasn't able to communicate properly. I was also in touch with his wife and two daughters. He was a fine human being."

Giving us a glimpse into what happened behind the scenes of Ramayan, the actress says, "I was the youngest on the sets of Ramayan, and the only girl. So the men would be together. However, he was always kind and respectful.