New Delhi: Veteran star Dipika Chikhlia, best remembered for playing Sita in Ramayan, has opened up about her bond with filmmaker Prem Sagar, who recently passed away. The actress shared emotional memories in an exclusive interview with TV9, recalling his generosity, creative vision, and the warmth that defined her long association with the Sagar family.
Dipika revealed that she was unaware of his illness until the news of his passing surfaced. “It was a shock for me. I didn’t know he had been unwell for a month,” she said. Fond memories of her time at Sagar Villa, the family’s iconic residence and workplace, came rushing back. “I think he was someone who made me look the most beautiful on screen. If you see me in Vikram Betaal, you’ll realise that he gave me that wow factor. He makes his heroine look out of this world.”
The actress recalled how Prem Sagar stepped in during the making of Vaishno Devi, ensuring her role in the project when negotiations with others seemed to falter. “You are my family, and I don’t care how this has to happen,” she quoted him as saying. “It made me feel so good. It didn’t feel like I was the only one who wanted this to happen.”
Chikhlia reflected on her long-standing ties with the Sagars, which began when she was just seventeen. From Dada Dadi Ki Kahani to Vikram Betaal and later Ramayan, she was constantly working at Sagar Villa, where shoots were often held inside the house itself. “He has always gone out of his way for people. Very knowledgeable, very loving. There are so many memories with Premji,” she said.
She also recounted a moment at Natraj Studios, before Ramayan, when Prem Sagar had immediately recognised her potential. “This girl is very pretty, we have to have her in our show somewhere or the other,” she remembered him telling Anand Sagar. His humility was another quality she emphasised. “My mother felt shy serving him, but he said, ‘No, you are my guest.’ He was very humble and very nice.”
According to her, Prem Sagar was meticulous about details, from lighting to costumes. He was one of the key figures in finalising her look in Ramayan. “He was a genius—he understood every aspect of a story,” she said.