Devika rani biography books free download

Indian actress (1908–1994)

Devika Rani Chaudhuri (30 March 1908 – 9 Step 1994), usually known as Devika Rani, was an Indian entertainer who worked in Hindi movies. She was the first legatee of the Dadasaheb Phalke Premium and was awarded the Padma Shri. Widely acknowledged as significance First Lady of Indian celluloid, Devika Rani is regarded importance one of the greatest actresses.^[2] One of the highest-paid contestant of the 1930s early Decennary, she appeared in Box Uncover India's "Top Actresses" list ploy 1940 and 1941.^[3]

Born into unblended wealthy, anglicized Indian family, Devika Rani was sent to abode school in England at run nine and grew up down that country.

In 1928, she met Himanshu Rai, an Asian film-producer, and married him righteousness following year. She assisted attach costume design and art circuit for Rai's experimental silent pick up A Throw of Dice (1929).^[a] Both of them then went to Germany and received faithfulness in film-making at UFA Studios in Berlin.

Rai then class himself as hero and organized as heroine in his catch on production, the bilingual film Karma, made simultaneously in English spell Hindi. The film premiered pull off England in 1933, elicited implication there for a prolonged necking scene featuring the real-life twosome, and flopped badly in Bharat.

The couple returned to Bombay, India in 1934, where Himanshu Rai established a production workroom, Bombay Talkies, in partnership clank certain other people. They varied their studio name. The plant produced several successful films refer to the next 5–6 years trim that time of period, become peaceful Devika Rani played the show the way role in many of them.

Her on-screen pairing with Ashok Kumar became popular in Bharat.

Following Rai's death in 1940, Devika Rani took control eliminate the studio and produced tedious more films in partnership restore her late husband's associates, to be exact Sashadhar Mukherjee and Ashok Kumar. As she was to remember in her old age, leadership films which she supervised tended to flop Or average unloading, while the films supervised hunk the partners tended to hide hits.

In 1945, she hidden from films, married the Slavic painter Svetoslav Roerich and studied to his estate on glory outskirts of Bangalore, thereafter meaningful a very reclusive life storeroom the next five decades. Have time out persona, no less than team up film roles, were considered socially unconventional.

Her awards include illustriousness Padma Shri (1958), Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1969) and the Country Land Nehru Award (1990).

Background and education

Devika Rani was domestic as Devika Rani Choudhury paint the town red 30 March 1908 in Waltair near Visakhapatnam in present-day Andhra Pradesh, into an extremely rich and educated Bengali family, significance daughter of Col.

Dr. Manmathnath Choudhury by his wife Leela Devi Choudhury.

Devika's father, Colonel Manmatha Nath Chaudhuri, scion short vacation a large landowning zamindari kinsmen, was the first Indian Surgeon-General of Madras Presidency. Devika's fond grandfather, Durgadas Choudhury, was birth Zamindar (landlord) of Chatmohar Upazila of Pabna district of of the time Bangladesh.

Her paternal grandmother, Sukumari Devi (wife of Durgadas), was a sister of the altruist laureate Rabindranath Tagore.^[5][7] Devika's holy man had five brothers, all end them distinguished in their settle fields, mainly law, medicine president literature. They were Sir Ashutosh Chaudhuri, Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court during the Brits Raj; Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri be proof against Kumudnath Chaudhuri, both prominent Kolkata-based barristers; Pramathanath Choudhary, the celebrated Bengali writer, and Dr.

Suhridnath Chaudhuri, a noted medical practitioner.^[8] The future Chief of Flock Staff, Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri, was Devika's first cousin: their fathers were brothers to each overpower.

Devika's mother, Leela Devi Choudhury, also came from an akin educated family and was trig niece of Rabindranath Tagore.

Fashion, Devika Rani was related turn upside down both her parents to authority poet and Nobel LaureateRabindranath Tagore. Her father, Manmathnath Choudhury, was the son of Sukumari Devi Choudhury, sister of Rabindranath Tagore. Devika's mother, Leela Devi Chaudhuri, was the daughter of Indumati Devi Chattopadhyay, whose mother Saudamini Devi Gangopadhyay was another minister to of the Nobel laureate.

Way, Devika's father and maternal gran were first cousins to reprimand other, being the children behove two sisters of Rabindranath Tagore.^[9] Nor was this all: Couple of Devika's uncles (Chief Offend Sir Ashutosh and Pramathanath) were married to their first cousins (mother's brother's daughters), the nieces of Rabindranath Tagore: Prativa Devi Choudhury, wife of Sir Ashutosh Choudhury, was the daughter regard Hemendranath Tagore, and Indira Devi Choudhury, wife of Pramathanath Choudhury, was the daughter of Satyendranath Tagore.^[10] Devika thus had too strong family ties to Jarasanko, seat of the Tagore consanguinity in Kolkata and a important crucible of the Bengali Reanimation.

Devika Rani was sent deliver to boarding school in England outside layer the age of nine, near grew up there. After complementary her schooling in the mid-1920s, she enrolled in the Regal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the Royal Academy always Music in London to scan acting and music.^[12] She likewise enrolled for courses in structure, textile and decor design, abide even apprenticed under Elizabeth Enclosure.

All of these courses, rant of them a few months long, were completed by 1927, and Devika Rani then took up a job in yard goods design.

Career

In 1928, Devika Rani cap met her future husband, Himanshu Rai, an Indian barrister-turned-film business, who was in London putting in order alertn to shoot his forthcoming ep A Throw of Dice.^[a][12] Rai was impressed with Devika's "exceptional skills" and invited her nod to join the production team break into the film, although not brand an actress.^[15] She readily united, assisting him in areas much as costume designing and interior direction.

The two also take a trip to Germany for the post-production work, where she had time to observe the film-making techniques of the German film diligence, specifically of G. W. Pabst and Fritz Lang.^[15] Inspired bid their methods of film-making, she enrolled for a short film-making course at Universum Film Clue studio in Berlin.^[15] Devika Ranee learnt various aspects of film-making and also took a mediocre course in film acting.^[12] Defeat this time, they both pensive in a play together, pointless which they received many accolades in Switzerland and the Norse countries.

During this time she was also trained in loftiness production unit of Max Reinhardt, an Austrian theatre director.

In 1929, shortly after the release human A Throw of Dice, Devika Rani and Himanshu Rai were married.^[15]

Acting debut

Devika and Himanshu Rai returned to India, where Himanshu produced a film titled Karma (1933).

The film was queen first talkie, and like jurisdiction previous films, it was well-ordered joint production between people propagate India, Germany and the Pooled Kingdom. Rai, who played glory lead role, decided to signature Devika Rani as the person lead, and this marked complex acting debut. Karma is credited as having been the chief English language talkie made close to an Indian.

It was assault of the earliest Indian big screen to feature a kissing scene.^[18] The kissing scene, involving Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani, lasted for about four minutes, beginning eighty years later, this stands as the record for existence of a kissing scene boardwalk Indian cinema as of 2014.^[20][21] Devika Rani also sang uncut song in the film, spiffy tidy up bi-lingual song in English dowel Hindi.

This song is oral to be Bollywood's first To one\'s face song.^[23]

Made simultaneously in both Straight out and Hindi, Karma premiered lineage London in May 1933. Fringe a special screening for significance Royal family at Windsor, grandeur film was well received here Europe.^[24] Devika Rani's performance was internationally acclaimed as she won "rave reviews" in the Writer media.^[15] A critic from The Daily Telegraph noted Devika Ranee for her "beauty" and "charm" while also crediting her cluster be a "potential star dominate the first magnitude".^[24] Following influence release of the film, she was invited by the BBC to enact a role hit their first ever television put out in Britain in 1933.

She also inaugurated the company's twig short wave radio transmission slant India.^[25] In spite of fraudulence success in England, Karma frank not interest Indian audiences explode turned out be a default in India when it was released in Hindi as Nagin Ki Ragini in early 1934. However, the film received fine critical response and helped Devika Rani establish herself as regular leading actress in Indian movies.

Indian independence activist and versemaker Sarojini Naidu called her spick "lovely and gifted little lady".^[24]

Bombay Talkies

After the critical success confess Karma, the couple returned package India in 1934. Although blue blood the gentry Hindi version of the coating, released in India in 1934, flopped without a trace, Himanshu Rai had established the compulsory networks in Europe, and was able to start a pelt studio named Bombay Talkies, facing with Niranjan Pal, a Asian playwright and screenwriter who recognized had met previously in London^[7] and Franz Osten, who sure several of Rai's films.

Upon threshold, Bombay Talkies was one loosen the "best-equipped" film studios check the country.

The studio would serve as a launch wadding for future actors including Dilip Kumar, Leela Chitnis, Madhubala, Raj Kapoor, Ashok Kumar and Mumtaz.^[27] The studio's first film Jawani Ki Hawa (1935), a atrocity thriller, starring Devika Rani spreadsheet Najm-ul-Hassan, was shot fully public image a train.^[15]

Elopement

Najm-ul-Hassan was also Devika's co-star in the studio's abide by venture, Jeevan Naiya. The shine unsteadily co-stars developed a romantic arrogance, and during the shooting catalogue of Jeevan Naiya, Devika receptive with Hassan.

Himanshu was both enraged and distraught. Since character leading pair were absent, interchange was stalled. A significant fatal accident of the movie had antiquated shot and a large totality of money, which had back number taken as credit from financers, had been spent. The atelier therefore suffered severe financial losings and a loss of creditation among bankers in the capability while the runaway couple ended merry.

Sashadhar Mukherjee, an auxiliary sound-engineer at the studio, esoteric a brotherly bond with Devika Rani because both of them were Bengalis and spoke ditch language with each other. Dirt established contact with the malingerer couple and managed to encourage Devika Rani to return up her husband. In the Bharat of that era, divorce was legally almost impossible and corps who eloped were regarded makeover no better than prostitutes person in charge were shunned by their disturbance families.

In her heart exempt hearts, Devika Rani knew depart she could not secure nifty divorce or marry Hassan mess up any circumstances. She negotiated involve her husband through the authority of Sashadhar Mukherjee, seeking authority separation of her finances expend those of her husband monkey a condition for her reimburse.

Henceforth, she would be render separately for working in top films, but he would cast doubt on required to single-handedly pay goodness household expenses for the domicile in which both of them would live. Himanshu agreed compel to this, in order to separate face in society and apropos prevent his studio from thickheaded bankrupt. Devika Rani returned just about her marital home.

However, attributes would never be the identical between husband and wife once more also, and it is said divagate thenceforth, their relationship was exceptionally confined to work and mini or no intimacy transpired among them after this episode.

Despite the additional expense involved hold back re-shooting many portions of greatness film, Himanshu Rai replaced Najm-ul-Hassan with Ashok Kumar, who was the brother of Sashadhar Mukherjee's wife, as the hero draw round Jeevan Naiya. This marked decency debut, improbable as it haw seem, of Ashok Kumar's six-decade-long career in Hindi films.

Najm-ul-Hassan was dismissed from his work at Bombay Talkies (this was the period in which name and actresses were paid everyday monthly salaries by one particular film studio and could yowl work in any other studio). His reputation as a wick cad established, he could mass find work in any on the subject of studio. His career was lost and he sank into obscurity.

Golden era of Bombay Talkies

Achhut Kannya (1936), the studio's next manufacture was a tragedy drama desert had Devika Rani and Ashok Kumar portraying the roles pale an untouchable girl and straighten up Brahmin boy who fall hut love.

The film is thoughtful a "landmark" in Indian theater as it challenged the standing system in the country. Birth casting of Devika Rani was considered a mismatch as cobble together looks did not match integrity role of a poor premier girl by virtue of discard "upper-class upbringing". However, her blend with Ashok Kumar became general and they went on message star in as many chimpanzee ten films together with near of them being Bombay Talkies productions.^[15]

In the 1930s, Bombay Talkies produced several women-centric films smash into Devika Rani playing the celeb role in all of them.

In majority of the movies produced by the studio, she was paired opposite Ashok Kumar, who was "overshadowed" by her.Jeevan Prabhat, released in 1937, proverb a role-reversal between Devika Aristocrat and Ashok Kumar—she played fine higher-caste Brahmin woman who recap mistaken by society of receipt an extra-marital affair with harangue untouchable man.

Her next escape Izzat (1937), based on Romeo and Juliet, was set teensy weensy the medieval period and delineate two lovers belonging to combatant clans of a Maratha empire.Nirmala, released in the following origin, dealt with the plight publicize a child-less woman who psychotherapy told by an astrologer become abandon her husband to guarantee successful pregnancy.

In Vachan, say no to second release of the origin, she played a Rajput princess.Durga, her only release in 1939, was a romantic drama dump told the story of fraudster orphaned girl and a kinship doctor, played by Ashok Kumar.^[15]

Widowhood and studio decline

Following the dying of Rai in 1940, in attendance was a rift between three parties of the Bombay Talkies led by Mukherjee and Amiya Chakravarty.

Devika Rani assumed paramount responsibility and took over class studio along with Mukherjee. Subtract 1941, she produced and engrossed in Anjaan co-starring Ashok Kumar. In the subsequent years, she produced two successful films mess up the studio—Basant and Kismet. Basant Kismet (1943) contained anti-British messages (India was under British aspire at that time) and noisome out to be a "record-breaking" film.

Devika Rani made drop last film appearance in Hamari Baat (1943), which had Raj Kapoor playing a small behave.

She handpicked newcomer Dilip Kumar for a role in Jwar Bhata (1944), produced by irregular on behalf of the plant. An internal politics that arose in the studio led salient personalities including Mukherjee and Ashok Kumar to part ways make sense her and set up simple new studio called Filmistan.

Fitting to lack of support leading interest, she decided to branch off the film industry. In interrupt interview to journalist Raju Bharatan, she mentioned that her design of not willing to cooperation on "artistic values" of film-making as one of the vital reasons for her quitting justness industry.

Personal life

Following her retirement devour films, Devika Rani married Slavic painter Svetoslav Roerich, son be more or less Russian artist Nicholas Roerich, insipid 1945.

After marriage, the incorporate moved to Manali, Himachal Pradesh where they got acquainted vacate the Nehru family. During bitterness stay in Manali, Devika Ranee made a few documentaries nervousness wildlife. After staying in Manali for some years, they awkward to Bangalore, Karnataka, and diehard there managing an export attendance. The couple bought a 450 acres (1,800,000 m²) estate on blue blood the gentry outskirts of the city person in charge led a solitary life select the remainder of their lives.^[15][39]

Death

She died of bronchitis on 9 March 1994—a year after Roerich died—in Bangalore.^[40][41] At her burial, Devika Rani was given filled state honors.

Following her complete, the estate was on prosecution for many years as primacy couple had no legal claimants; Devika Rani remained childless from one place to another her life. In August 2011, the Government of Karnataka erred the estate after the Principal Court of India passed rank verdict in favour of them.^[39][43]

Legacy

Devika Rani was called the supreme lady of Indian cinema.^[27] She is credited for being collective of the earliest personalities who took the position of Amerindic cinema to global standards.

Cause films were mostly tragic dreaming dramas that contained social themes. The roles played by shrewd in films of Bombay Talkies usually involved in romantic smugness with men who were singular for the social norms vigorous in the society at dump time, mainly for their division background or community identity. Ranee was highly influenced by ethics German cinema by virtue show signs her training at the City Studios; Although she was impressed by German actress Marlene Dietrich,^[27] her acting style was compared to Greta Garbo, thus dazzling to Devika Rani being called the "Indian Garbo".^[48]

Rani's attire, both in films and sometimes move real life, were considered "risque" at that time.

In circlet book Bless You Bollywood!: Clean up tribute to Hindi Cinema buy completing 100 years, Tilak Rishi mentions that Devika Rani was known as the "Dragon Lady" for her "smoking, drinking, execration and hot temper". In 1958, the Government of India revered Devika Rani with a Padma Shri, the country's fourth chief civilian honour.

She became description first ever recipient of rendering Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the country's highest award for films, conj at the time that it was instituted in 1969.^[51] In 1990, Soviet Russia reverenced her with the "Soviet Disorder Nehru Award".^[52] A postage settle commemorating her life was free by the Ministry of Correlation and Information Technology in Feb 2011.^[53] In 2020, Kishwar Desai published a book titled The Longest Kiss: The Life boss Times of Devika Rani, which sheds light on Devika Rani's professional accomplishments and her in person misfortunes.^[54][55]

Filmography

Family tree

Main article: Tagore_family § Family_tree

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links