The series 'Ramayana' by Ramananda Sagar became a cultural phenomenon among viewers. Among its actors, Dara Singh, who played the role of Hanuman, attracts particular attention.
Ramananda Sagar's son, Prem Sagar, spoke about the difficulties in preparing Dara Singh's character. He noted that after applying makeup, the actor had to fast for a long time, and a special stand was made for him to sit with his tail.
In an interview with 'Lehren', Prem Sagar highly praised Dara Singh's work. He reported that the makeup process took about three to four hours because prosthetics were unavailable at the time, and the look had to perfectly match Hanuman's appearance. He also mentioned the tail: if it was attached, the actor required a special chair with a cutout so he could sit without interfering with the tail.
Prem Sagar continued that after the mold was applied to his face, the actor could not eat normally. The makeup started three hours before filming, which meant Dara Singh could go without food for about eight to nine hours. This was a demonstration of his dedication.
He also talked about his father, Ramananda Sagar's, work, who worked obsessively. If a scene came to him at night, he would immediately change the dialogues, ordering everyone to wake up so filming could start at 4 am. This process went on around the clock.
Discussing the challenges, Prem Sagar highlighted 'Vanara Sena' as the main problem. He speculated on how much time it would take to do makeup for the 500 people who made up the Vanara Sena. For the actors in this group, dried coconut was used to make mouth overlays.
Today, thanks to technological advancements, modern versions of this Hindu epic have been created using CGI and VFX. Nevertheless, Ramananda Sagar's version retains unparalleled charm.
