EXCLUSIVE: Ramayan documentary to release before Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana; to reveal how Ramanand Sagar created the epic WITHOUT green screen or VFX; grandson reveals, “30,000 to 40,000 people would gather outside the studio EVERYDAY from ALL over India…”
As moviegoers gear up for Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana, Shiv Sagar is working on a special project related to his family’s celebrated legacy. Shiv is the grandson of legendary filmmaker-writer Ramanand Sagar, who created the iconic 1987 television epic Ramayan. He is currently producing a documentary that will offer viewers a fascinating glimpse into how the landmark television series was made. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Shiv Sagar spoke about the documentary, his memories of the Ramayan phenomenon and his upcoming projects.
Please tell us about the documentary that you are working on currently…
We are making a documentary on the behind-the-scenes of the making of Ramayan. Even after 36 years, there’s a lot of interest in grandfather’s Ramayan. It continues to be relevant and popular. At the time, my grandfather had to work with relatively rudimentary technology. There were no blue or green screens; chroma had just come in. There were no computers for visual effects either. The team worked with linear editing machines and shot on low-band U-matic video.
So, the idea behind our documentary is to give viewers an idea of how it was made and it would consist of interviews with the cast and technicians and their family members. We are also focusing on the women in the house of these unit members and what they went through during the shooting. We want to document all this information.
A lot of the people associated are not alive anymore. Arvind Trivedi ji, who played Ravana, is no more. Hence, we got his daughter to give an interview. Similarly, Vindu Dara Singh spoke to us since Dara Singh ji has passed away. We want to preserve all this for future generations.
I believe photographs and footage of those times would be a part of the documentary…
Yes, we have a large collection of photographs and stills from the original negatives, which we have digitised in high resolution. We are also using AI to recreate certain behind-the-scenes moments and give viewers an idea of how the show was shot.
Will it be a digital release or will it premiere on television?
Most likely, it will be released digitally. However, at present, our focus is entirely on completing the documentary. We have not yet decided which platform it will be released on
Will it be out this year?
Yes. We are planning to release it in 2 months. We have wrapped up all the interviews. Now, just the post-production work is going on. We are planning to release it before the film Ramayana releases.
Do you have any memories of witnessing the shoot of Ramayan?
(Smiles) I was just 10 years old. I remember we used to go to Umargam, where the shooting used to take place. That location had beautiful, white sand beaches. People from all over India would gather to see the shooting and the actors. 30,000 to 40,000 people would assemble outside the studio from across the country! It was like a crazy phenomenon. Every evening, grandfather and the actors would step out and meet the fans.
Ramayan aired at 9:00 am. On Sundays, we would sometimes sleep in, but since we lived in a joint family, someone would inevitably wake us up and say, ‘Aapke ghar pe Ramayan aa rahi hai aur aap so rahe ho? Utho aur Ramayan dekho!’ (laughs).
Besides the documentary, what else are you working on? Also, are there any plans to make non-mythological content?
We are planning a feature film in Kashmir. It’s a small-budget, indie and non-political project which I’ll be directing. We are fortunate to get a lot of work in mythology, but at that time, that image gets so strong that we don’t tend to get any other work. This film would be an attempt in that direction.
We are also coming up with an animation movie called NaagVansham, which’ll release next year in theatres. It’s inspired by mythology, but it’s a complete fantasy movie.
The post EXCLUSIVE: Ramayan documentary to release before Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana; to reveal how Ramanand Sagar created the epic WITHOUT green screen or VFX; grandson reveals, “30,000 to 40,000 people would gather outside the studio EVERYDAY from ALL over India…” appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.