Ramsay Brothers

Ramsay Brothers[1] is a pseudonym used for a family of Bollywood filmmakers and sons of F.U. Ramsay. The family includes seven brothers, who made cult horror films mainly in 70's and 80's decade. The brother's name are Tulsi Ramsay (eldest), Shyam Ramsay, Gangu Ramsay, Kumar Ramsay, Keshu Ramsay, Kiran Ramsay and Arjun Ramsay. The brothers worked together for most of their careers and divided the various departments of filmmaking among them to produce movies. Kumar Ramsay handled the scripting, Gangu took care of the cinematography, Kiran Ramsay managed sound department, Keshu handled production, Arjun Ramsay took care of editing and Shyam Ramsay with Tulsi Ramsay handled the direction department. [2][3][4] The Ramsays were originally the Ramsinghanis, who ran electronics shops in Karachi and Lahore. After the Partition of India, Fatehchand U. Ramsay (F.U. Ramsay) along with his seven sons, moved to Mumbai and set up an electronics shop at Lamington Road. Soon, lured by the glamour of Hindi cinema, he got into show business with films such as Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh (1954), Rustam Sohrab (1963) and Ek Nanhi Munni Ladki Thi (1970).

The films flopped and the Ramsays were reeling under huge debts when inspiration struck. In a scene in Ek Nanhi Munni Ladki Thi, Prithviraj Kapoor wears a devil's mask to carry out a robbery and terrifies Mumtaz. The film didn't work but the “monster” sequence did, encouraging the Ramsays to experiment with Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche (1971). The film was advertised in a half-hour, late-night show on radio which helped it get the “Houseful” board up when it was released.

Its success sparked a trend of shoe-string budget movies that were wrapped up in a month with a crew of 15.[5]

Films

The Ramsay Brothers have made more than 30 horror films in India, which epitomize the lower depths of 1980s Bollywood sleaze and gore, but which have secured their place in Hindi cinema's hall of fame as the pioneers of horror.[6][7][8] They are producers, directors and editors for many famous Hindi horror movies such as Guest House (1980 film), Veerana, Purana Mandir, Purani Haveli (film), Darwaza and Bandh Darwaza, and the TV series "Zee Horror Show". Their first film Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche proved a milestone for them and for Indian horror film industry. At a time when the average Hindi film took about a year and 50 lakhs to complete, Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche was shot in 40 days on a budget of Rs 3.5 lakhs. All the eight Ramsey brothers boarded buses with small-time actors, a sparse film crew, their wives and parents and drove to a government guesthouse in Mahabaleshwar that cost Rs 12 a room – they took eight rooms. They didn't spend on sets because they shot on location. They didn't spend on costumes because these were picked out of actors’ wardrobes. The cameras were all borrowed. All the departments for making the film was taken care of by the eight brothers. The film ran to full houses in the first week after its release. It made Rs 45 lakhs. Their 1980s horror films are generally considered as the combination of sex and supernaturals.[9][6]

Filmography
Yearfilm
1972Do Ghaz Zameen Ke Niche
1975Andhera
1978Darwaza
1979Aur Kaun
1980Saboot
1980Guest House
1981Dahshat
1981Sannata
1981Hotel
1981Ghungroo Ki Awaaz
1984Purana Mandir
1985Telephone
19853D Saamri
1986Tahkhana
1986Om
1987Dak Bangla
1988Veerana
1989Purani Haveli
1990Bandh Darwaza
1991Inspector Dhanush
1991Ajooba Kudrat Ka
1993Zee Horror Show(TV serial)
1994The Monster
1996Talashi

[10][11][12]

Biopic

Actor-producer Ajay Devgn has acquired the rights to produce a biopic on Ramsay Brothers. The film will be titled as The Ramsay Biopic. The script will be written by Ritesh Shah.[13]

Details

They are a team of seven brothers:[14][15]

See also
  • List of Hindi horror films

References
  1. "Horror movies are back, and how! | bollywood". Hindustan Times. 2016-04-22. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  2. https://theprint.in/india/ramsay-brothers-shyam-ramsay-who-gave-india-its-first-gory-scares-dies-at-67/293244/
  3. https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/ramsay-brothers-shyam-ramsay-known-for-cult-horror-films-dies-at-67-2102939
  4. Madhu Jain (1990-07-15). "Horror films: Filmmakers jump on to the macabre bandwagon : FILMS - India Today 15071990". Indiatoday.intoday.in. Archived from the original on 2 October 2019. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  5. "SCREAM!". Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  6. "Ramsay International". Motherland Magazine. Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2015-04-24. /
  7. "The curious charm of Ramsay films | brunch". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  8. "Khiladi stopped playing with Keshu Ramsay". Times of India. 2010-10-21. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  9. "Cover story: the new brand of Bollywood horror films | brunch". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  10. https://scroll.in/reel/837139/the-seven-foot-tall-monster-and-the-scream-queen-who-made-the-ramsay-horror-films-memorable
  11. https://www.scoopwhoop.com/horror-movies-by-ramsay-brothers/
  12. https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/shyam-ramsay-wrote-a-new-blueprint-for-bollywood-horror-films/article29447604.ece
  13. https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/hindi/2019/nov/08/ajay-devgn-to-make-biopic-on-the-ramsay-brothers-2058579.html
  14. "Ramsay International". Timescrest. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
  15. "The requiem for Ramsay's horror | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". Dnaindia.com. 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  16. "Return of the Khiladi?". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 2014-09-04. Retrieved 2014-08-30.
  17. "Ramsays consider themselves the Kapoors of horror films". India Today. July 15, 1990. Archived from the original on 2 October 2019.
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