Pioneer in the true sense

Director Shyam Ramsay, who is known for introducing horror genre in the Hindi film industry during 80s and 90s, passed away on Wednesday in Mumbai. He was 67 and was suffering from pneumonia.

Shyam, along with his brother Tulsi Ramsay, made hit horror films such as Purana Mandir, Veerana, Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche, Band Darwaza, Purani Haveli and Andhera, to name a few. The last film made by them was 2017’s Koi Hai. Ramsay Brothers were also known for the popular Zee Horror Show, which ran for almost seven years.

Family business

The origins of the horror empire set up by the band of brothers can be traced back to a modest radio shop in Karachi in undivided India. The shop’s proprietor, Fatehchand U Ramsinghani, had relocated to Mumbai after Partition and decided to get into the business of film production. It was Ramsinghani who adopted the last name Ramsay and went on to make films such as Shaheed-E-Azam Bhagat Singh (1954) and Rustom Sohrab (1963).

The films worked like magic on the box-office and Ramsinghani pulled all seven of his sons — Kumar, Tulsi, Shyam, Keshu, Kiran, Ganguly and Arjun - into filmmaking and Ramsay Brothers were born. According to Amborish Roy Choudhury’s book “In A Cult of Their Own: Bollywood Beyond Box Office”, Tulsi and Shyam Ramsay convinced their father to start making horror films, which led them to “Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche”. The 1972 horror film became a great starting point for both brothers and the Indian horror film industry.

A legacy to cherish

Shyam Ramsay was a pioneer of horror genre. In fact, he introduced the country to this genre. Otherwise, we would have only consumed international content. Ramsay films had a signature background score which still haunts. I think Veerana was quite ahead of its time. I hope his legacy continues. —Vivek Agnihotri, filmmaker 

Great loss

Ramsay is synonymous with horror in India. He was a stalwart with a huge body of work. His passing is a loss to the genre and the industry as a whole. I can only wish his family peace in this tough time. —Adah Sharma, Actress 

Regaled his audience

Shyam Ramsay carried the torch of horror films right through the 70s and 80s. Even amongst the Ramsay Brothers, he was considered to be leader of the group. He was innovative and regaled his audience with fabulous spooky cinema from time to time. His passing is indeed sad and his contribution to the dark films will always be held in high esteem. —Vikram Bhatt, Filmmaker

— TNS and Agencies