Ramanand Sagar (B. 1917)
Hindi director, producer and writer born in Lahore as Ramanand Shankardas Chopra. Journalist for the Daily Milap and the Daily Pratap 0936-42). Assisted e.g. H.S. Thakur (Raiders a,{ the Railroad, 1936) and obtained a degree in Sanskrit (1942). Migrated to Bombay on Partition. recording the communal holocaust in his classic Hincli novel, Aur Insaan Mar Gaya ( 1948). Using the names Ramanand Chopw and Ramanand Bedi, ruhlished prose stories (Diary ol a TB Patient. 1942; jawar Ebata, 1943: Aine, 1944: jab Pable Roz Barf Giri, 1944; .Hera Hamdam Mere Dost, 1945; Phool Aur Kaante, 1949J and plays (e.g. Gaura. p~Irt of which was staged by Prithviraj Kapoor's Prithvi Theatres as Kalakaar, 1951). Broke through in cinema writing Raj Kapoor's epochal Barsaat (1949). Wrote scripts and dialogues for S.S. Vasan's Hindi films (Insaniyat, 1955; Raj Tilak, 1958; Paigham, 1959) and directed two films (Gbungbat, Zindagt) for Vasan's Gemini Studio. Produced most of his own films via his Sagar Art (1953) Notable recent work includes tile 91-episode TV serial Ramayan, Doordarshan's first major success with peak Sunday morning viewing of c.78% of the audience. Continued with a sequel derived from the Mahabharata (released on video). Addressing communally charged ideals of Hindu glorv, with a tacit glorification of sati, the serial claims to be founded on Tulsidas's 16th C. Ramchan·tamanas, but formally it remains within the ambit of e.g. Radheshyam Kathavachak's popular playwrighting style.
FILMOGRAPHY: 1953: Mehmaan; 1954: !!\ Bazooband; 1960: Ghungha.t; 1964: Zindagi; 1965: Ar:zoo; 1968 Aankhen; 1970: Geet: 1972: La/kaar, 1973: jalte Badan; 1976: Charas; 1978: Prem Bandhan; 1982: Baghavm: 1983: Romance; 1985: Salma; 1986-8: Ramayan (TV); 1989: Knshna (TV).