Meet superstar who was rejected by Raj Kapoor for iconic role, then became India's most popular actress after..

The TV show 'Rishte Naate' which began airing in 1980 also brought attention to Dipika Chikhlia who played a small role in it. Through the popularity of this serial, Dipika Chikhlia made a successful debut in Bollywood with the film 'Sun Meri Laila' (1983), opposite Raj Kiran. Dipika Chikhlia gained immense fame by working in both films and on TV. She also starred in three Hindi films with Rajesh Khanna, which were 'Rupaye Dus Karod', 'Ghar Ka Chiraag', and 'Khudai'. 

In the year 1984, Dipika Chikhlia caught wind about the audition taking place for a film which was to be directed by legendary actor Raj Kapoor. The actress, in a recent interview, revealed that she had approached Raj Kapoor to cast her in the lead role in his 1985 film 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili'. However, he refused to do that because of Dipika Chikhlia's age.

This decision by Raj Kapoor, in hindsight, proved to be one of the best things to happen to Dipika Chikhlia as just after 2 years, in 1987, she was cast as Goddess Sita in Ramanand Sagar's 1987 television series 'Ramayan'. Her role in the superhit TV show gave Dipika Chikhlia such popularity that she became a household name and a superstar. 

In an interview with Dainik Bhaskar, Dipika Chikhlia said, "In those days I was doing small second-person roles. I was doing small films as a heroine. But I was not happy. I felt like leaving the industry. The father of Raj Kapoor’s daughter Reema’s best friend was my father’s friend. He told me that Raj Kapoor was looking for a new face for the film. He could talk to us."

Dipika Chikhlia further revealed that when she spoke to Raj Kapoor he refused to cast her because she was 17 at the time and that she was "too young". 

Dipika Chikhlia was initially upset at being rejected for the role but she soon realised that it was a blessing in disguise. She said that if she had starred in 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili', she would have lost out on the iconic role of Goddess Sita in 'Ramayan'. 

Dipika Chikhlia was quoted as saying, "I had gone to watch the film with my mother and was shocked after watching the movie. I thought thank God the matter did not progress, otherwise how would I have refused? I realised that if I had done ‘Ram Teri Ganga Maili’ then I would not have been able to become Sita of Ramayana."

'Ram Teri Ganga Maili' starring Rajiv Kapoor and Mandakini was the last film that Raj Kapoor ever directed. Despite the controversies surrounding it, 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili' became the highest-grossing Indian film of that year and won several awards. 

As for Dipika Chikhlia, the actress became a superstar after playing Goddess Sita in 'Ramayan'. This character was a superhit and Dipika Chikhlia became a star overnight. Even today, she continues to reap the benefits of the stardom of this character.

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