Ramayan director Ramanand Sagar channeled personal angst into show; his stepmother beat him, mother died of drug overdose: Son Prem Sagar

In an interview with Lehren Retro, his son, Prem Sagar, said that his father drew from his life experiences to create the show. “He faced a lot of hardships. All the characters of Ramayan, whether it was Kaikeyi or Manthra… He had a stepmother who used to beat him. His mother died of drug addiction at the age of 26, when he was just five years old. He sold shoes, cleaned trucks, became a peon, a clerk. He had seen all kinds of people in his own life, because he had to portray them,” said Prem, who has been invited for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22.

Remembering his father, Prem continued, “So, he was made to struggle, and do all kinds of things so that he could create these characters. Then he was a journalist. At the age of 16 he wrote his first story…” Prem added, “He had the vision, that for 50 years nobody will be able to replace (the show). Corona ke baad isne jab phir world record kiya, I remembered my father. What foresight, what vision he had.”

The lead actors of Ramayan – Arun Govil, Dipika Chikhlia and Sunil Lahri – have also been invited to Ayodhya to be part of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony.

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