Prem Sagar

Some Lesser Known Facts About Prem Sagar

• Prem Sagar was born in Lahore, Pakistan. After the partition of India and Pakistan, his family moved to India and settled in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

• He was the eldest son of his parents.

• After graduating from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, Sagar enrolled in the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, specialising in cinematography.

  

• During his time at FTII, Pune, he directed the diploma short film “One Plus One,” which earned him the Gold Medal for Best Academic Student and the Silver Medal for Best Photographed Student Film.

• In 1972, after completing his course in cinematography, he immediately joined his father Ramanand Sagar‘s production house, Sagar Arts.

  

• His father launched his visual career with the film Lalkar (1972).

  

• Later, he worked as a cinematographer in various Sagar Arts films, including Ankhen (1968), Jalte Badan (1973), Charas (1976), Prem Bandhan (1979), Pyara Dushman (1980), Armaan (1981), Hamrahi (1982), Bhagawat (1982), Badal (1982), and Salma (1985). However, critics especially praised how he glamorised Hema Malini in the film Charas (1976).

• In 1979, Prem Sagar moved into film direction with the film Hum Tere Aashiq Hain. This film received recognition for its visual presentation.

• In the 1980s, Prem Sagar entered into producing and directing the fantasy series Vikram Betaal (1985) for Doordarshan, which became a blockbuster and marked the success of Sagar Arts in television, too.

• In 1986, Prem Sagar took charge of marketing the free commercial time for the show Ramayan, which was broadcast on Sundays. He turned it into a massive success, generating extraordinary revenue for the national television channel Doordarshan and making the show popular in 55 countries.

• Some of his other popular methodological shows under Sagar Arts Production were Ramayan (1987), Shri Krishna (1993), Hatim (2003), Jai Ganga Maiya (2006), Dharti Ka Veer Yodha Prithviraj Chauhan (2006), and Chandragupta Maurya (2011).

• As the creative producer for Sai Baba Tere-Tere Hazaron Hath (2005), he made the filming at places like Dwarka Maai, Shirdi, Maharashtra, feel real and full of devotion. This helped the show become a big hit on Star Plus and also led to more people visiting Shirdi.

• Prem Sagar also credited the launch of Sagar Arts’ popular shows on VCD and DVD formats, achieving skyrocketing sales through innovative marketing, including Photoshop design.

• In 2010, Prem became the creative head of the mythological series Mahima Shani Dev Ki on Imagine TV, which aired successfully for three years.

• Throughout his career, he earned 15 awards as a Director of Photography, along with recognition in still photography. He received fellowships from the Royal Photographic Society in the UK and FIAP in Paris. Additionally, he won Silver and Bronze medals at the Oregon State Fair, as well as an award in an international photo contest in Chile, and a UNESCO award in Tokyo.

  

• Prem Sagar had served on multiple prestigious panels, including the governing council of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), the examining panel of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the selection panel for the Western India Cinematographers’ Association, and jury roles for the Apsara, Screen, and Filmfare Awards.

• In 2018, Sagar was awarded a fellowship by the India International Photographic Council (IIPC) for contributions to photography.

  

• In December 2019, Prem Sagar launched a book titled “An Epic Life: Ramanand Sagar, From Barsaat to Ramayan”. This biography chronicles the life of Ramanand Sagar, highlighting his struggles and his remarkable journey from being a clerk to becoming one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. In 2023, this book also appeared in a widely distributed Penguin edition.

  

• On 31 August 2025, Prem Sagar passed away. In an interview, his son mentioned that he had been diagnosed with colon cancer just a month prior and was undergoing treatment at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. On 30 August 2025, the doctors advised that he be taken home. Unfortunately, he took his last breath on 31 August 2025 at 3 P M.