The futuristic world of Antariksh; (below) Arun Govil

What if Ramayana is set 10,000 years in the future? After historicals, children’s shows and mythology, STAR Plus now ventures into sci-fi territory with a new daily serial, Antariksh. To hit the small screen on October 2, the show will replace the Rajshri production Pyaar Ke Do Naam — Ek Radha Ek Shyam, Mondays to Thursdays, at 8 in the evening.

“It is a new environment for Indian television but it is a tried-and-tested format internationally,” Deepak Segal, programming head of STAR, tells Metro. “We are not trying to explain the sci-fi environment but adding a new backdrop to a very good story. The story is not exactly Ramayana but adopts the basic theme of good winning over evil.”

And if the great epic is back on TV, can the actor who personified the Lord be far away? Arun Govil, who became synonymous with Rama and has been hardly seen on air since, will make a comeback of sorts with Antariksh. He will not be the new Rama but will play the role of Trishakti, the futuristic Buddha capable of switching roles from the creator to the destroyer to the preserver.

“His character is that of a king of a new evolutionary plane,” reveals Jyotin Goel, co-director of the show and one of the partners of Wild Fire Entertainment, which is producing the new prime-time show.

With a tagline that goes Ek amar katha jise chhote bhool na payenge, bade sada dohrayenge, Antariksh is meant for family viewing.

“Pyaar Ke Do Naam did moderately well and what we learnt from the show is that mature viewership takes off from 8.30 pm,” says Segal. “So, coming at 8 pm, we expect the new show to be watched by the young and old alike.”

The story of Antariksh revolves around Amar (an acronym of Rama), the eldest son of King Shylan who possesses qualities that make him just right to be Prithvi’s next king. The villain in the piece is Rankaal, a mutant of Trishakti, who is spreading terror in Akashganga. The more they try to curtail him, the more his strength grows. The only one who can stop Rankaal is the chosen one, Amar. The modern-day Rama is trained and equipped in real-life situations so that he can match up to Rankaal’s strength. The battles of the titans are fought with hi-tech gadgets, commensurate with the sci-fi backdrop.

“Apart from Arun Govil and a few other veterans like Tom Alter and Sachin Tyagi, we have gone for largely new faces as they do not carry a preset image with them, adds writer-director Goel.

Interestingly, the computer-generated graphics for Antariksh have been created by Jyoti Sagar, who is the third generation of the Sagar family who created the original Ramayana for Doordarshan.