Kumar Ramsay, eldest of Ramsay Brothers and 'Purana Mandir' writer, dies due to cardiac arrest at 85

Mumbai: Filmmaker Kumar Ramsay, known for penning most of the Ramsay Brothers' horror films including Rishi Kapoor starrer "Khoj", passed away on Thursday due to cardiac arrest. He was 85.

Kumar breathed his last at his residence in Hiranandani here, his eldest son Gopal told PTI.

"He passed away due to cardiac arrest, today morning around 5:30 AM. He passed away very quietly. The funeral will take place around 12 PM. We are waiting for the priest to arrive," Gopal said.

Kumar was the son of producer FU Ramsay and the eldest of the seven brothers.

The septet -- Kumar, Tulsi, Shyam, Keshu, Kiran, Gangu, and Arjun -- ruled the horror genre, making low-budget cult movies in the 70s and the 80s. The filmmaking duties were divided between them.

Kumar was instrumental in scripting most of their films, including "Purana Mandir" (1984), "Saaya" (1989), featuring Shatrughan Sinha, and 1989 hit "Khoj", which also starred Naseeruddin Shah.

He also produced films like "Aur Kaun?" (1979) and "Dahshat" in 1981.

His younger brothers Tulsi and Shyam passed away in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Arjun, who did post-production and editing of their films, died in 2019.

Kiran, who managed the sound department, died in 2017 while Keshu, who handled production breathed his last in 2010.

Kumar, who also wrote the script of the cult 1978 horror "Darwaza", is survived by wife Sheela and three sons, Raj, Gopal and Sunil.