When Prem Sagar cared for journalists who were protesting against his step-uncle – Beyond Bollywood

In the late 90s, acclaimed filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra had invoked the ire of entertainment media after allegedly assaulting a noted trade analyst.

By Mayur Lookhar

Veteran filmmaker and cinematographer Prem Sagar passed away early today (31 August) at the age of 80. He was one of the children of legendary filmmaker Ramanand Sagar, creator of the iconic mythological TV series Ramayan (1987) on Doordarshan. Prem had closely assisted his father in the making of Ramayan, contributing to what became one of the most-watched television series in Indian history.

The Sagar family has long been a pioneer in bringing mythological narratives to Hindi entertainment. Prem Sagar remained active in his later years, recently producing Kaamdhenu Gaumata.

As tributes pour in, veteran journalist Indermohan Pannu recalled an incident that reflected Sagar’s humane side.

In the late 90s, Mumbai journalists staged a protest against a leading filmmaker accused of physically assaulting a trade anaylst. The filmmaker in question was Vidhu Vinod Chopra, while the critic/ trade analyst is Amod Mehra, known for his brutal honesty. Mehra worked as a journalist till 1994, but thereafter specialised in film trade content.

Several journalists, including Vinay Agarwal, Ranchhod Vora, Anjay Srivastava, K Subhash, Hanif Zaveri, Keshav Rai, Z A Johar, Dilip Thakur, Kundan Goswami, R T Chawla, Pradeep Bandekar, Jagdish Aurangabadkar, and Pannu himself, joined the march.

Recalling that day, Pannu said, “It was a typical hot summer afternoon in Mumbai. After a long session of slogan shouting, the journalists were parched. Prem Sagar, watching from his office and knowing many of us personally, sent his staff with water, tea, and biscuits. This simple gesture spoke of his deep sense of humanity. We all miss this noble soul.”

Meanwhile, while recalling the tiff with Chopra, Mehra shared a note.

“At the time, my company handled song ratings for BPL Oye on Channel V. That week, the song Chori Chori Nazare Mili from Kareeb (1998) entered the chart at No. 8.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra was furious, believing it deserved the No. 1 spot over “Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh”, and confronted me. I explained that the ranking depended on music album sales.”

Both songs were from Chopra’s films.

At the film’s premiere, an angry Chopra allegedly assaulted him. Mehra immediately hit back before the duo were separated.

Mehra appreciated the support that he got from his fraternity.

“I remain grateful to all my friends who stood by me during that episode,” said Mehra.

Well, the interesting thing here is the connection between Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Prem Sagar. The latter was Vidhu Vinod’s step-uncle, despite there being just a 8-year age gap between them.

Ramanand Sagar and Vidhu Vinod are half-brothers. Sagar was born as Chandramauli Chopra before his name was changed some years later. After Ramanand’s mother passed away, his father Lala Dinanath Chopra married Shanti Devi, who later gave birth to Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

Ramanand Sagar and Vidhu Vinod had an age gap of nearly 35 years, and Ramanand is said to have looked after Vidhu Vinod like his own son. Ramanand Sagar passed away in 2005 at the age of 87. The demise of Prem Sagar is another great loss for the family and for the Indian entertainment industry.

Watch video story below.