📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Sagarworld
Entertainment
Disney Passes on Funding Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, Says Lalit Modi
✍️ Bollywood Hungama
🗓 15 Oct 2026, 04:38 AM
👁 14
Former IPL chief Lalit Modi recalled that Disney declined to finance Ramanand Sagar’s iconic television series Ramayan, citing the filmmaker’s inability to make a strong impression. The decision came as Sagar sought international backing for the epic project.
Lalit Modi, who once led the Indian Premier League, shared that Disney had turned down an offer to finance Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, a landmark television series that would later become a cultural touchstone.
Sagar, known for his devotion to mythological storytelling, approached Disney in the early 1980s hoping to secure a substantial budget for the epic. According to Modi, the Hollywood studio felt the filmmaker had not made a compelling case for the project.
Despite Disney’s refusal, Sagar proceeded independently, securing funding from Indian broadcasters and producing Ramayan for Doordarshan. The series aired in 1987 and remains one of the most watched shows in Indian television history.
Modi reflected that the missed partnership highlighted a disconnect between Western studios and Indian mythological content at the time. He noted that Disney’s decision was a missed opportunity for both parties to collaborate on a globally resonant narrative.
The episode serves as a reminder of the challenges Indian creators faced in accessing international financing during the 1980s, and the enduring impact of Ramayan on Indian popular culture.
Sagar, known for his devotion to mythological storytelling, approached Disney in the early 1980s hoping to secure a substantial budget for the epic. According to Modi, the Hollywood studio felt the filmmaker had not made a compelling case for the project.
Despite Disney’s refusal, Sagar proceeded independently, securing funding from Indian broadcasters and producing Ramayan for Doordarshan. The series aired in 1987 and remains one of the most watched shows in Indian television history.
Modi reflected that the missed partnership highlighted a disconnect between Western studios and Indian mythological content at the time. He noted that Disney’s decision was a missed opportunity for both parties to collaborate on a globally resonant narrative.
The episode serves as a reminder of the challenges Indian creators faced in accessing international financing during the 1980s, and the enduring impact of Ramayan on Indian popular culture.