Yugo Sako: A Legend Unknown

The year was 1985 when archaeological excavations at Ayodhya made it to the news for various reasons. The erstwhile Babri Mosque was one of the fourteen sites examined during the project. The group led by great B.B Lal was researching the existence of none other than Lord Rama himself. Intrigued by the prospects of the ongoing research a 57 year old Yugo Sako, traveled to Ayodhya all the way from Japan, to capture the frenzy for his documentary “The Ramayana Relics”. Little did he know that soon he will be smitten by the epic Ramayana-the story of Lord Rama and triumph of good over evil. 

The subject of Ramayana soon became an obsession for Sako and he decided to bring the story to the audience worldwide. He devoted himself to understanding the essence of the epic in order to present it before the audience in its truest form. He went on to read Valmiki Ramayana in Japanese, dozens of times and expanded his research by consulting over ten versions of the epic, all translated to Japanese. With over a decade of research behind his project, he came to the conclusion that only animation as a format would be able to capture the grandeur and the magic of Ramayana in its true sense. This decision of his was a departure from his approach as a documentary producer which only underlines his objective thinking and commitment to the storytelling. “Because Rama is God, I felt it was best to depict him in animation, rather than by an actor with human limitations”, replied Sako when asked about his choice to produce the epic as an animation. To make his project a success, he held various meetings with academics, architects, subject experts and watched Ramanand Sagar’s magnum opus “Ramayana”. As a foreigner he was extra cautious to get the facts right and to depict them in a respectful manner, something largely amiss in recent adaptations of the epic (Adi Purush anyone?). The sanctity of the epic was of utmost importance to the makers of the movie. This is reflected in another incident where Sako had nearly achieved an agreement with a major Hollywood studio to release his movie in USA. While bringing the story to a whole new set of audience, there was also a huge monetary benefit to be had from the merchandising option alone. From selling actions figures of Hanuman and Rama (imagine happy meal with Hanumana) to board games and comic books, the possibilities were endless. However, Sako turned it all down when the Hollywood studio wanted to alter the story where instead of banishing Ram and Sita to oblivion as “Vanavas” they wanted the newlywed couple to travel to forest for their honeymoon! “This text is sacred and cannot be changed. It will be detrimental to the sensitivities of millions of Indians”, Yugo Sako replied and parted ways with the studio, giving up on all the lucrative offers.

With no prior experience in animation and diminishing resources, Sako set out to produce his ambitious project. He ended up spending 10 years and $13 million to bring the story on screen. The vision itself was quite unique. He wanted to combine well-established techniques of Manga and Japanese animation school with Indian classical design and painting. To fulfill this vision of his, he roped in Ram Mohan, a pioneering name in field of animation in India. Sako wanted to retain the spiritual character of the story while making it an adventurous ride for the audience. To achieve this, he brought in Koichi Sasaki as director for the project. “We are bringing Indian mythology to the global audience. It has to be perfect if nothing else”, Sako conveyed his intentions very clearly in one of the meetings. Eventually, with a team of 450 artists and nearly 10, 000 hand drawn cells, the epic of Ramayana was brought to life on screen as an animation project. These artists later went on to work for iconic productions including Dragonballz, Doremon, Pokemon and even Studio Ghibli, which further highlights the influence movie had over animation industry. For English dubbed version, voice actors included renowned Hollywood star Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad fame, and popular voice actress Edie Mirman. For Hindi dubbing, none other than Arun Govil featured in his role as Rama again. Another unforgettable aspect of the move is its timeless music. The venerable Vanraj Bhatia along with Alan Howarth composed the songs and background score for the movie, which remains unchanged in all the versions of the movie, whether in any language. Whether its “Janani main Ramdoot Hanuman” in golden voice of Udit Narayana or energetic “Shri Raghuvar ki Vaanar Sena”, all the songs do justice to the plot and have a high repeat value. While Sako’s commitment to the original storyline kept movie from becoming a household name in west, it gradually gained popularity and is rated highly by both audience and critics with an excellent score of 9.2/10 on IMDB and 93% favorable reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, till date, a testament to Sako’s grand vision and skillful execution.

While the Govt. of India was initially highly skeptical of handing over the reign of producing a movie on arguably the most important epic of this land to a foreigner, the decision eventually turned out to be the right one, with Ramayana-The Legend of Prince Rama, ticking all the right boxes. Yugo Sako immortalized himself in his attempt to bring his beloved Ramayana to a wider global audience, the journey of production of the movie itself was full of difficulties and uncertainties. When asked on how he finds the motivation, Sako reiterated his willingness to see the larger picture while paying less attention to short-term chaos. “If I pass away, then this work can be done by others,” he said and laughed before adding, “and if I die, I can be reborn and continue the work.” Sadly, the movie never saw a major theatrical release in India, due to then govt. policies, protests and reluctance of movie houses in the topic; But eventually found its way into hearts of a million (including myself!) when brought to TV years after its international release.

To honor the memory of great Yugo Sako, I will end the piece with a heartfelt letter penned by him to his dear Hindu friends-

My Dear Hindu Friends,

What urged me on to produce this Ramayana film was that I really sympathize with Indian philosophy. I can’t help thinking that in my last life I might have been an Indian, explaining why I love India this much. During the 10 years of making the film when I sometimes worried about raising money or became troubled with aspects of the work, I was encouraged by a confidence that because I was making nothing else but Ramayana, I would have the divine protection of Rama or Hanuman. Now, the work complete, I found that my feeling was right. I appreciate the cooperation of the Indian people and I love India from the bottom of my heart.

I first visited India 25 years ago, and since then many times. I have produced many documentary films about her. I journeyed all along the Ganges from its sacred source, Gangotri, to its mouth Ganga Sagar. I visited other places to learn about the Kumbha Mela and sadhus. Through my travels, I experienced Indian prayers, lives and many mysteries. This experience made me think about:

a) what is the meaning of life and where did we come from;

b) tenderness and firmness, adoration for nature and Gods, coexistence of humans and animals and a deep understanding for human beings which India has, and

c) Japan’s present condition which is much too Westernized.

Wherever I went in India, I could feel that I was familiar with this land or I knew it before. It’s like a memory of surprise and puzzlement when we jumped into this universe out from our mother’s womb where we were crouching and drifting in dark water. It’s the feeling like I want to kneel down and kiss the land. The Hindu world sometimes appears tender and evanescent and sometimes firm and timeless – all the light and shadows made by souls of Indian people who feel a day of three thousands years ago like just yesterday.

Sincerely,

Yugo Sako, Producer Ramayana

April 1, 1993, translated by Yoko Sasaki.

The film, Ramayana- The legend of Prince Rama, is set for a pan India release in 4K Ultra for the first time in November 2024. To go and watch it in theaters, would be a fitting tribute to a foreigner who devoted best years of his life to produce a movie on the most important epic of Hindusim.