Devika Rani

Devika Rani is amingst the most eminent stars of bygon era in hindi film industry. She is the founder of Bombay Talkies film studio. Explore some interesting facts related to Devika Sharma.

Personal Profile (Personal Biography)
Popular Name:  The Dragon Lady
Date of Birth (Birthday):  March 30, 1908
Zodiac Sign:  Aries
Hair Color:  Black
Birth Place:  Vishakhapatnam, British India
Marital Status:  Married

Family Background
Father's Name:  Col. M. N. Chaudhuri
Husband:  Himanshu Rai (Died in 1940), Svetoslav Roerich

Film Background (Filmography)
Debut Film:  Karma (1933)
Famous Movies:  Karma, Achhut Kanya

Interesting Facts About Devika Rani

• Devika Rani was the great-grandniece of Rabindranath Tagore.
• Devika Rani founded the 'Bombay Talkies' film studio along with her husnband.
• Devika Rani eloped with her lover actor Najam-ul-Hussain in 1936.
• Devika Rani is accredited for having acted in the longest kissing scene in the movie world.
• Devika Rani built the Tataguni estate on Kanakpura Road, Bangalore with her second husband.

Awards and Accoldaes

• Devika Rani recieved Padam Shree award in the year 1958.
• Devika Rani recieved Dadasaheb Phalke Award in the year 1970.
• Devika Rani was a member of the Central Government Audio Visual Education Board.
• Devika Rani was a nominee of the Central Government to the National Academy of Dance, Drama, Music and Films, the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Delhi.
• Devika Rani was a member of the Executive Board of the National Academy, Member of the Lalit Kala Akademi and the National Handicrafts Board and Member of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
• Devika Rani recieved Soviet Land Nehru award in 1989.

 

Born in Waltair (now Visakhapatnam), Devika Rani came from a distinguished background: she was the great-grandniece of the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and her father, Col. M. N. Chaudhuri, was the first Indian Surgeon-General of Madras. Her mother's name was Leela.

She completed her early schooling in the early 1920s. She then studied drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the Royal Academy of Music in London, UK, where she won scholarships. She also studied architecture, textile and decor design, and apprenticed under Elizabeth Arden. Here, through her Brahmo connections, she met with scriptwriter Niranjan Pal who would eventually write many of her most successful screen roles.

Devika Rani married Indian producer and actor Himanshu Rai in 1929. Together they starred in Karma (1933). They soon founded the Bombay Talkies film studio, along with retainers Niranjan Pal and Franz Osten, whose films challenged the caste system. In addition to Devika Rani, other notable actors to work for Bombay Talkies at one point or another included Ashok Kumar and Madhubala.

Trivia

• Devika Rani is best remembered for her discovery of Dilip Kumar.
• Despite being an actress of the Thirties, she was most accomplished and modern in every sense.
• She was a student of architecture in London and met Himanshu Rai there, where she had agreed to design the sets for his film production....
• Mr.Rai was the only Indian producer with the famous German film concern U.F.A. in Berlin. At the U.F.A. Studios, Devika Rani learnt costumes designing, make-up, decor and other different branches of film production with special training in acting.
• At the time, Devika Rani also acted with Himansu Rai in a play for U.F.A. which took them to Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries, where they were received with the highest honours.
• It was in "KARMA" that Devika Rani established herself as a "star" of first magnitude. During the screening of "KARMA", Devika Rani was honoured by an invitation of the B.B.C. at London to act in the first television broadcast in Britain which was relayed throughout the country. She was also chosen to inaugurate the first B.B.C. broadcast on the short wavelength to India.
• She was a member of the Central Government Audio Visual Education Board.
• She was also nominated to the National Academy of Dance, Drama, Music and Films, the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Delhi, as a nominee of the Central Government.
• She was a member of the Executive Board of the National Academy, Member of the Lalit Kala Akademi and the National Handicrafts Board and Member of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
• Equally invaluable is the prestigious Soviet Land Nehru award conferred on her in 1989.