DEBOLINA ROY
Ramanand Sagar, a prominent name in Indian TV and film industry, was actually born as Chadramauli Chopra in Lahore. After his mother passed away, Ramanand was brought up by his maternal grandmother and later adopted his stage name.
One of the most lesser-known facts about Ramanand Sagar is that he is Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s half brother. His father, Lala Dinanath Chopra got married for the second time to Shanti Devi Chopra, who is also Vidhu’s mother.
Ramanand started his carrier as a clapper boy in a silent movie, Raiders of the Rail Road. He also acted in a Punjabi film, Koel. During 1940s he joined Prithvi theatres and worked under the guidance of Prithviraj Kapoor. He is also known for writing screenplays for movies like Barsaat, Paigham, Raj Tilak, and many more.
Due to a failed career in Mumbai, he later moved to Madras. SS Vasan, the owner of Gemini studio (a famous studio is Madras) was impressed with Ramanand’s skills. So he directed two very successful movies for the studio, Ghunghat and Zindagi.
His son Prem Sagar dedicated a heartfelt memoir to his father, An Epic Life Ramanand Sagar: From Barsaat to Ramayan. The book features an extensive research on Ramanand’s life with more than 300 interviews, conducted by his grandson Shiv Sagar.