# Ramanand Sagar
**Ramanand Sagar** (born Chandramouli Chopra; 29 December 1917 – 12 December 2005) was an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter who founded the Sagar production house and created the television series *Ramayan* (1987–88), one of the most watched serials in Indian television history.[1](https://newindiasamachar.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/Magazine/2025/Dec/M202512161.pdf) • [2](https://sagarpictures.com/tv-shows/ramayan) The Government of India awarded him the [Padma Shri](https://www.edgepedia.org/padma-shri) in 2000 for his contributions to art.[1](https://newindiasamachar.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/Magazine/2025/Dec/M202512161.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 29 December 1917, Lahore (named Chandramouli, later given the name Ramanand Sagar); 12 December 2005[1](https://newindiasamachar.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/Magazine/2025/Dec/M202512161.pdf) |
| Film career start | 1936, with the silent film *Raiders of the Rail Road*[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0755997/) |
| Production company | Sagar Art, established in 1953[4](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9780199708574_A23608017/preview-9780199708574_A23608017.pdf) |
| Signature work | *Ramayan*, a 78-episode Doordarshan serial (1987–88) drawing over 100 million viewers weekly[2](https://sagarpictures.com/tv-shows/ramayan) |
| Reach | Viewership of around 650 million; telecast in 55 countries[5](https://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/30-years-of-dd-s-ramayana-the-back-story-of-the-show-that-changed-indian-tv-forever/story-og0vbfSYwK75Zl7mQmdsjN.html) |
| Other serials | *Vikram Aur Betaal*, *Dada-Dadi Ki Kahaniyaan*, *Krishna*, *Alif Laila*, *Jai Ganga Maiya*[1](https://newindiasamachar.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/Magazine/2025/Dec/M202512161.pdf) |
| Honor | Padma Shri, 2000[1](https://newindiasamachar.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/Magazine/2025/Dec/M202512161.pdf) |
## Early life and entry into film
Sagar was born in Lahore on 29 December 1917. His mother named him Chandramouli, and the boy later received the name Ramanand Sagar.[1](https://newindiasamachar.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/Magazine/2025/Dec/M202512161.pdf) According to an account by his son, he decided to join the film industry after watching the 1943 film *Ram Rajya*.[6](https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/the-making-of-ramayan-into-a-popular-television-show/story-4NnpObiNbmxTSupiW2ygSK.html)
His film work began during British rule: in 1936 he started his career with the silent film *Raiders of the Rail Road*.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0755997/) Prithviraj Kapoor gave him one of his earliest breaks as a writer in the Hindi film industry, with *Barsaat* (1949).[7](https://varietyindia.com/ramayana-ranbir-is-more-krishna-than-rama-says-ramanand-sagars-grandson/) His script for *Barsaat* already showed the theme a scholarly source identifies as his hallmark as a director, the portrayal of long-suffering heroines steadfast in love, contrasted with flirtatious, Westernized characters.[4](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9780199708574_A23608017/preview-9780199708574_A23608017.pdf)
## Film production career
He established his own film production company, Sagar Art, in 1953, distinct from the earlier Sagar Film Company.[4](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9780199708574_A23608017/preview-9780199708574_A23608017.pdf) IMDb credits him with launching the Sagar Art Corporation in 1950, beginning with the film *Mehmaan*.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0755997/) The company's credits include more than 50 Hindi movies, among them *Insaniyat*, *Ghunghat*, *Aankhen* (1968), *Geet*, *[Lalkar](https://www.edgepedia.org/lalkar)*, *Kohinoor*, *Zindagi*, and *Aarzoo*.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0755997/) The Sagar Pictures legacy page dates the studio's emergence as one of India's earliest motion picture studios to 1954 and lists *Aarzoo*, *Geet*, and *Aankhen* among its successes.[8](https://sagarpictures.com/legacy) He kept making hit movies, and some flops, until his television work eclipsed his film career.[4](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9780199708574_A23608017/preview-9780199708574_A23608017.pdf)
## Television and Ramayan
Sagar was drawn to television while in France, watching TV with a French family, and he soon formed a television software production company.[9](https://indiantelevisionacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/The_ITA_Coffee_Table_Book_2024_compressed.pdf) After television took off in India and with the success of *Vikram Aur Betaal*, a series he produced for [Doordarshan](https://www.edgepedia.org/doordarshan) in 1985, he believed the time was ripe to bring the Ramayana to the masses.[6](https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/the-making-of-ramayan-into-a-popular-television-show/story-4NnpObiNbmxTSupiW2ygSK.html)
**The pitch and the rejection.** When he pitched a serialized *[Ramayan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ramayan-1987-tv-series)* to Doordarshan, it was initially rejected on the perception that audiences were uninterested in religious programming; after delay, the show was approved, for 52 episodes.[9](https://indiantelevisionacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/The_ITA_Coffee_Table_Book_2024_compressed.pdf) • [2](https://sagarpictures.com/tv-shows/ramayan) It ultimately ran as a 78-episode Sunday serial on Doordarshan from 1987 to 1988.[2](https://sagarpictures.com/tv-shows/ramayan) • [10](https://ijp.org.in/article/cinema-television-and-the-informal-curriculum-through-which-indians-learn-their-politics)
**Reception.** Within a couple of episodes the serial became a national sensation. It drew over 100 million viewers weekly, and one account puts total viewership at around 650 million, with telecasts in 55 countries, making it the highest-grossing show on Indian television by a wide margin.[2](https://sagarpictures.com/tv-shows/ramayan) • [5](https://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/30-years-of-dd-s-ramayana-the-back-story-of-the-show-that-changed-indian-tv-forever/story-og0vbfSYwK75Zl7mQmdsjN.html) A political-analysis account estimates that more than eighty percent of televisions in use were tuned to its Sunday morning broadcast, a figure no later Indian television program has matched.[10](https://ijp.org.in/article/cinema-television-and-the-informal-curriculum-through-which-indians-learn-their-politics) Streets emptied on Sunday mornings as people stayed home to watch.[1](https://newindiasamachar.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/Magazine/2025/Dec/M202512161.pdf) The sobriquet of "modern Valmiki" was attached to Sagar.[9](https://indiantelevisionacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/The_ITA_Coffee_Table_Book_2024_compressed.pdf) Arun Govil, who played Ram, Deepika Chikhalia as Sita, Arvind Trivedi as Ravan, and [Dara Singh](https://www.edgepedia.org/dara-singh) as Hanuman became identified with their roles for the rest of their lives in the public's mind.[11](https://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/world-television-day-2024-how-ramanand-sagars-ramayan-rewrote-the-rules-of-tv)
**Production and style.** The production used pre-digital technology, traditional film cameras, and limited resources.[12](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/how-ramanand-sagar-made-the-1987-88-ramayan-tv-series/) In the final episode Sagar appeared on screen himself, dressed as a divine creature floating in the skies and singing a benediction at Ram's anointing as king of Kosala.[13](https://ir.library.osaka-u.ac.jp/repo/ouka/all/99720/baps_006_059.pdf) The serial drew letters of praise from Muslim viewers.[14](https://scholar.uoc.ac.in/server/api/core/bitstreams/05169004-a694-4e5f-8f47-786a7e13f780/content)
**Cultural and political footprint.** Scholars treat the serial as a case of television shaping political imagination: the IJP analysis calls it the clearest and most consequential example of cinema and television acting as an informal curriculum for Indian politics.[10](https://ijp.org.in/article/cinema-television-and-the-informal-curriculum-through-which-indians-learn-their-politics) A spokesperson for the [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh](https://www.edgepedia.org/rashtriya-swayamsevak-sangh) said the television *Ramayan* "created an awakening," and scholarly discussion describes the serial's history as contested, with Sagar's own political agenda described as unclear.[15](https://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/52374/1/12.pdf.pdf) • [12](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/how-ramanand-sagar-made-the-1987-88-ramayan-tv-series/)
**The 2020 rebroadcast.** Doordarshan rebroadcast the serial beginning 28 March 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, returning it to a national television audience.[12](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/how-ramanand-sagar-made-the-1987-88-ramayan-tv-series/) Its re-runs still air on the Doordarshan network.[16](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/ramanand-sagars-iconic-ramayan-was-nearly-shelved-slapped-with-175-cuts-varun-badola-reveals-he-was-stopped-from-quoting-ramcharitmanas-10051233/lite/)
## Other television work
Beyond *Ramayan*, his famous serials include *Vikram Aur Betaal*, *Dada-Dadi Ki Kahaniyaan*, *Krishna*, *Alif Laila*, and *Jai Ganga Maiya*.[1](https://newindiasamachar.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/Magazine/2025/Dec/M202512161.pdf) The Indian Television Academy credits the serials that brought him laurels as *Ramayan*, *Shri Krishna*, and *Sai Baba*, and notes that he made more than 25 films and about a dozen serials.[9](https://indiantelevisionacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/The_ITA_Coffee_Table_Book_2024_compressed.pdf) The Sagar banner later expanded into historical and fantasy tales such as *Hatim*, *Aladdin*, *Alibaba*, and *Sindbad the Sailor*.[9](https://indiantelevisionacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/The_ITA_Coffee_Table_Book_2024_compressed.pdf) Across its history the brand produced over 55 television shows and 25 feature films.[8](https://sagarpictures.com/legacy)
## Family and legacy
Sagar mentored his sons and built a home-grown team of writers, directors, producers, and cinematographers.[9](https://indiantelevisionacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/The_ITA_Coffee_Table_Book_2024_compressed.pdf) His son Prem Sagar joined the [Film and Television Institute of India](https://www.edgepedia.org/film-and-television-institute-of-india) in Pune, won gold and silver medals there, and shot films including *Lalkar* under his father's direction; Prem later took charge of marketing the commercial time around *Ramayan*'s Sunday telecast.[17](https://www.sagarworld.com/about-us/) Sons Prem, Moti, and Anand Sagar went on to helm Sagar Arts, remaking *Ramayan* for NDTV Imagine with a new cast and computer-generated effects.[18](https://www.rediff.com/movies/2008/sep/04sd8.htm) Grandson Shiv Sagar entered television production in 2008 as Creative Producer on *Mahima Shani Dev Ki*.[17](https://www.sagarworld.com/about-us/) Prem Sagar wrote a biography of his father, *An Epic Life: Ramanand Sagar – From Barsaat To Ramayan*, which recounts, among other things, how Sagar sent his son to raise funds for the series from Indian friends abroad.[6](https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/the-making-of-ramayan-into-a-popular-television-show/story-4NnpObiNbmxTSupiW2ygSK.html)
Sagar died on 12 December 2005.[1](https://newindiasamachar.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/Magazine/2025/Dec/M202512161.pdf) The Ramanand Sagar Foundation, a registered non-profit spearheaded by the Prem Sagar family, carries forward his humanist vision with community service programs in Karjat, including free health camps, scholarships, and women's empowerment initiatives for tribal communities.[17](https://www.sagarworld.com/about-us/)
## References
1. [PERSONALITY: Ramanand Sagar, New India Samachar (PIB)](https://newindiasamachar.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/Magazine/2025/Dec/M202512161.pdf)
2. [Ramayan, Sagar Pictures Entertainment](https://sagarpictures.com/tv-shows/ramayan)
3. [Ramanand Sagar, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0755997/)
4. [Preview, Oxford University Press scholarly volume on Hindi cinema and the televised Ramayan](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9780199708574_A23608017/preview-9780199708574_A23608017.pdf)
5. [30 years of DD's Ramayana: The back story of the show that changed Indian TV forever, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/30-years-of-dd-s-ramayana-the-back-story-of-the-show-that-changed-indian-tv-forever/story-og0vbfSYwK75Zl7mQmdsjN.html)
6. [The making of the epics into popular Indian television shows, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/the-making-of-ramayan-into-a-popular-television-show/story-4NnpObiNbmxTSupiW2ygSK.html)
7. [Ramayana: Ranbir is More Krishna than Rama, says Ramanand Sagar's grandson, Variety India](https://varietyindia.com/ramayana-ranbir-is-more-krishna-than-rama-says-ramanand-sagars-grandson/)
8. [Sagar Pictures Legacy: Iconic Contributions](https://sagarpictures.com/legacy)
9. [The ITA Coffee Table Book 2024, Indian Television Academy](https://indiantelevisionacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/The_ITA_Coffee_Table_Book_2024_compressed.pdf)
10. [Cinema, Television and the Informal Curriculum Through Which Indians Learn Their Politics, India Journal of Politics](https://ijp.org.in/article/cinema-television-and-the-informal-curriculum-through-which-indians-learn-their-politics)
11. [World Television Day 2024: How Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan Rewrote The Rules of TV, Free Press Journal](https://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/world-television-day-2024-how-ramanand-sagars-ramayan-rewrote-the-rules-of-tv)
12. [How Ramanand Sagar Made Ramayan: The 1987–88 TV Series, DocumentaryTube](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/how-ramanand-sagar-made-the-1987-88-ramayan-tv-series/)
13. [Osaka University journal article on the electronic Ramayan](https://ir.library.osaka-u.ac.jp/repo/ouka/all/99720/baps_006_059.pdf)
14. [The Other India, scholarly monograph](https://scholar.uoc.ac.in/server/api/core/bitstreams/05169004-a694-4e5f-8f47-786a7e13f780/content)
15. [Ginsburg chapter on the television Ramayan](https://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/52374/1/12.pdf.pdf)
16. [Ramanand Sagar's iconic Ramayan was nearly shelved, slapped with 175 cuts, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/ramanand-sagars-iconic-ramayan-was-nearly-shelved-slapped-with-175-cuts-varun-badola-reveals-he-was-stopped-from-quoting-ramcharitmanas-10051233/lite/)
17. [About Sagar World: The Legacy of Ramanand Sagar](https://www.sagarworld.com/about-us/)
18. [The people who changed the face of Indian Television, Rediff.com](https://www.rediff.com/movies/2008/sep/04sd8.htm)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Film and television directors › Directors of South Asia*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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