Ramanand Sagar

Ramanand Sagar (born Chandramauli Chopra; 29 December 1917 – 12 December 2005) was an iconic Indian film and television director, producer, and writer. Born near Lahore, he began his film journey in 1932 as a clapper boy for the silent film Raiders of the Rail Road. Based on his harrowing experiences during the Indo-Pak partition, he published the acclaimed Hindi-Urdu book Aur Insaan Mar Gaya in 1948.

Moving to Bombay in 1949, Sagar worked as an assistant stage manager at Prithviraj Kapoor’s Prithvi Theatres. He soon gained prominence by writing the story and screenplay for Raj Kapoor’s blockbuster Barsaat (1949). However, his early directorial ventures like Bazooband and Mehmaan bombed at the box office.