Potpourri of titbits about cinema - Actor Ranjan

Venkataramana Sarma was born in the year 1918 at Srirangam, near Trichi. He was introduced to cinema through the Tamil film ‘Rishyasrungar’, released in the year 1941. He changed his name to Ranjan for the silver screen. Vyjayanthimala’s mother Vasundara Devi was his heroine in this film. ‘Bhakta Naradan’, ‘Mangamma sabhadam’, ‘Saali vaahanan’, ‘Chandralekha’ and ‘Apoorva sagotharargal’ were his Tamil films that followed. Ranjan entered the Hindi screen also while working n Tamil movies. His sword fight in the film ‘Chandralekha’ and in the Hindi version of the Tamil film ‘Apoorvasagotharargal’ would be very thrilling to watch.

In the film ‘Saalivahanan’, his sword fight with MGR, the villain, would be very ferocious. He had graduated in music and dance and had also learnt piloting aircrafts. He ran a Tamil magazine ‘Naattiyam’ for a short period. It was Chinnappa Devar who brought him back to Tamil cinema from the Hindi field through his production ‘Neelamalai thirudan’. And, he acted in a few more movies in Tamil after the release of this film. ‘Captain Ranjan’ was his last movie in Tamil. His wife was a doctor. The couple had no children. The couple shifted to America and lived there as permanent citizens. Ranjan died at the age of 65 on 12.9.1983 due to heart attack in New Jersey when he was staying in a hotel there and he was buried in the same city itself.