Remembering Gangu Ramsay: Horror Film Pioneer In Bollywood

Gangu Ramsay, the veteran cinematographer, filmmaker, and producer of the famed Ramsay Brothers, passed away on Sunday at the age of 83. In a career spanning decades, he worked on many iconic films like Veerana, Purana Mandir, Bandh Darwaza, Tahkhana and Purani Haveli under his banner of the Ramsay Brothers, which shaped the contours of the horror genre in India.

Gangu Ramsay’s contributions to the Ramsay Brothers's horror films

All the members of the Ramsay family handled various production departments themselves, which further reduced the cost of filmmaking. Gangu Ramsay took the reigns of the camera department, which became the bedrock of the Ramsay Brothers' film. Creative makeup was also an integral part of their films' success. 

His camera techniques had the imprint of Hollywood films like Dracula and The Curse of Frankenstein. The light and shadow play in the horror portions of the movies lent a dramatic treatment and evoked fear in the audience. The creative use of light and smoke machines to evoke a sense of horror also became a highlight in his work behind the lens.  

Under the family banner, Gangu Ramsay lent his creative vision to over 50 iconic films, including Veerana, Purana Mandir, Bandh Darwaza, Khoj and several other projects.

Gangu Ramsay also served as cinematographer on Aashiq Awara, one of Saif Ali Khan's initial movies. He also collaborated with Akshay Kumar in various Khiladi films such as Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, Sabse Bada Khiladi, Mr and Mrs Khiladi as well as veteran Kannada actor Vishnuvardhan.

How Ramsay Brothers moved from family business to showbiz

The Ramsay Brothers banner was founded by Fatehchand U Ramsay, whose second-eldest son was Gangu Ramsay. After the partition of India, the family landed in Mumbai and set up a tiny electronics shop. While it did reasonably well, the family was large, and generating money to take care of everyone seemed difficult. That’s when FU Ramsay decided to enter showbiz. He joined a group of other Sindhi refugee businessmen to produce the film Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, the film didn’t perform well at the box office.

He later produced films like Rustam Sohrab, but it was Ek Nanhi Munni Ladki Thi, starring Prithviraj Kapoor, that changed the tides for the family, and also established a new genre of horror films in India. The film didn't work, but a scene where Prithviraj Kapoor wears a devil's mask to carry out a robbery and terrifies Mumtaz struck a chord with the audience.

That’s when inspiration struck, as the Ramsays (as they were known) changed gears logistically and also in terms of cost as they experimented with Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche. The film was based on a story narrated by Fatehchand's daughter Asha to her father. The film was made on a shoestring budget, but it witnessed huge commercial success. Finally, FU Ramsay cracked the code of making pulpy horror movies on shoestring budgets.

While a normal Hindi film would require a year and be made on a budget close to ₹50 lakh, Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche was wrapped up in 40 days on a budget of ₹3.5 lakh. The lesser expenditure and lesser amount of time directly put them on a path to higher profits.

Ramsay Brothers: A lasting legacy

Ramsay Brothers became synonymous with the horror genre and went on to make a string of B-grade films in the decade of 1970s and 1980s, featuring zombies, vampires, werewolves, reanimated corpses and snowmen. The films were widely popular for their unique mix of horror and erotica.

They made more than 30 horror films, mainly during the low in the 1980s era of Bollywood when the industry was struggling owing to the spike in piracy because of VCR. The Ramsay family not only made a place for themselves owing to their grasp over the horror genre but also bailed the industry at a time when even the likes of Yash Chopra were struggling and directionless.

(with inputs from Agencies)