Sagar |best|: Ramanand

The architect of that shared cultural memory was . From Humble Beginnings to Silver Screens Born as Chandramauli Chopra on December 29, 1917, in Lahore (now in Pakistan), Sagar’s journey to becoming the "Father of Indian Television Mythology" was not a straight line. After the tragic death of his father when Ramanand was just a child, the family moved to Agra. He later adopted the pen name "Ramanand Sagar" for his early work as a writer.

Yet, despite his success in masala entertainment, his heart lay elsewhere: in the epics he grew up listening to from his grandmother. In the mid-1980s, Doordarshan was the only channel in India. When the government decided to bring mythology to the state broadcaster, the pressure was immense. Ramanand Sagar took on the Herculean task of adapting Valmiki’s Ramayana for television. ramanand sagar

Before the small screen, Sagar conquered the big one. He wrote, directed, and produced over 40 Bollywood films in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. While he delivered hits like Ankhen (1968) and Charas (1976), he also gave us the legendary Aankhen , a film that ran for 50 weeks in a single theatre—a golden jubilee hit. The architect of that shared cultural memory was