Luv Kush’ (formerly called Uttar Ramayan) is a Hindi TV serial produced and directed by Ramanand Sagar for DD National. It is a follow-up or an extension of highly successful epic drama ‘Ramayan’, featuring the same cast and production base. Actually, ‘Luv Kush’ series is lifted from the last book of Sage Valmiki ‘The Uttara Kanda’. The show was telecast in 1988. Swapnil Joshi was nine years old when he played the character of Kush in the serial. He also played the role of young Krishna in Ramanand Sagar’s mythological show named ‘Krishna’.
Child actor Mayuresh Kshetramade had played the role of Luv in the series. It was broadcast for 39 episodes on DD National. It may be known that the twins Kush and Luv are sons of Ram and Sita. Uttar Ramayan is a sequel to Ramayan and covers the later portion of Ramayan following Rama’s coronation. Ram is coronated, and he is known as ‘Maryada Purshottam’ by Sage Narada.
Lord Brahma asks Valmiki to write Ramayan fully and then Sita conceives Luv-Kush. Lord Ram overhears people talking negative about Sita’s purity and it shocks him. Guru Vashisht asks Rama to follow his duty as a king and then Sita decides to go away from Ram. Lakshman leaves her in the forest, and Sage Valmiki welcomes her to his ashram. Sita leads a life of a sanyasi. Meantime, Rishis plead Lord Ram to save them from demon Ravana. Ram asks his brother Shatrughan to kill Ravana.
Shatrughan comes to Valmiki’s ashram, but Sita does not come out. Now Sita gives birth to twins. Shatrughan blesses the twins and after defeating the demon comes back to his own kingdom. Now Valmiki teaches Luv-Kush archery and even tells the story of Ram to Luv Kush. Guru Vashisht asks Ram to perform Ashvamedha Yagna and tells Ram to get married again as he cannot do this yagna without the wife. But Ram makes a golden statue of Sita and performs the yagna. Sita also performs a yagna on her own.
Now Luv-Kush catches the Ashwamedha horse and defeats Shatrughna, Lakshman, and Bharat and even captures Hanuman. Now Ram intervenes, but Sage Valmiki stops the war of two sons and father. Luv- Kush comes to know that Ram is their father, and they sing the tragic story of Ram-Sita on streets of Ayodhya. People of Ayodhya accept their fault, and Valmiki brings back Sita to Ayodhya again.
Arun Govil played the role of Ram, Sunil Lahiri played the role of Lakshman and Dara Singh was seen as Hanuman. Deepika Chikhalia played the role of Sita.