Devika Rani

Devika Rani Chaudhuri, usually known as Devika Rani (30 March 1908 – 9 March 1994), was an actress in Indian films who was active during the 1930s and 1940s. Widely acknowledged as the first lady of Indian cinema, Devika Rani had a successful film career that spanned 10 years.

Devika Rani's early years were mostly spent in London where she studied architecture, and started her career as a textile engineer. In 1928, she met Himanshu Rai, an Indian film-producer, who persuaded her to join his production crew. She assisted in costumes design and art direction for Rai's film A Throw of Dice (1929). The two married in 1929, and went to Germany where Devika Rani learned different aspects of film-making in the UFA Studios in Berlin. Rai then cast her in the 1933 talkie Karma in which her performance received critical acclaim. Returning to India, the couple established their production studio Bombay Talkies in 1934. They produced many women-centric films throughout the decade, with Devika Rani portraying lead roles in most of them. Her on-screen pairing with Ashok Kumar became popular in India.

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Devika_Rani

Latest News for: Devika Rani

Mayank Shekhar: Can pop-cinema address caste?

Mid Day 14 Jun 2018

The dazzling, hazel-eyed Devika Rani plays the 'untouchable' girl in Acchut Kanya (1936)—widely considered the first film to directly address caste-discrimination in Indian or, at any rate, Hindi cinema ... Since everyone's heard of, but hardly seen the landmark Acchut Kanya, it isn't exactly a romance in a real sense. That would be too far-out for 1936 ... This explains how their children grew up so close ... Old-guard is up in arms ... ....

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Did you know the longest kiss in Bollywood was four minutes long

The Times of India 06 Jun 2018

Devika Rani with her husband-actor Himanshu Rai in the movie ......

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‘Paradise’ not lost as 82-year-old theatre eyes multiplex makeover

The Times of India 06 Jun 2018

KOLKATA ... But unlike Elite, all is not lost for Paradise. Eighty-two years after Rabindranath Tagore graced the opening of the 1936 Bombay Talkies film ‘Achhut Kannya’ starring Ashok Kumar and Devika Rani, Paradise is hoping to regain its lost glory by turning into a multi-screener ... Netaji was the guest of honour when Devika Rani-starrer ‘Jeevan Prabhat’ opened in 1937 ... But unlike Elite, Mehra has no plans of closing down the theatre ... ....

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QKolkata: Three Ministers Resign; Kolkata 2nd Most-Polluted City

Yahoo Daily News 06 Jun 2018

1. After Rural Poll Setback, 3 Bengal Ministers Resign ... (Source. The Times of India). Also Read. Bengal Panchayat Polls ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... 5 ... Eighty-two years after Rabindranath Tagore graced the opening of the 1936 Bombay Talkies film ‘Achhut Kannya’ starring Ashok Kumar and Devika Rani, Paradise is hoping to regain its lost glory by turning into a multi-screener ... Netaji was the guest of honour when Devika Rani-starrer ‘Jeevan Prabhat’ opened in 1937 ... ....

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Ashokamitran’s tryst with celluloid

The Hindu 05 Apr 2018

Iruttilirunthu Velichcham (Tamil) & Fourteen Years with Boss (English). Natrinai Pathippagam ₹ 240, Penguin ₹299. Writer Ashokamitran is popular for his essays on a variety of topics ... The fifth touches upon the life and movies of some of the celebrated personalities such as Ingrid Bergman, Ingmar Bergman, Guru Dutt, Dev Anand, Devika Rani, Director Sridhar, Ranjan, Vyjayanthimala, Madhu Bala, Nagesh and also someone like K.T....

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‘Jhansi ki Rani’ joins Gudi Padwa festivities in Girgaum

DNA India 19 Mar 2018

On Sunday morning, the entire locality of Girgaum seemed to be out on the streets. One had to only ask around to learn that many from across the city were in the area to visit the shobha yatras ... Devika Kunder, a seven-year-old girl came dressed as Jhansi ki Rani ... MAHA'S NEW YEAR. ....

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English-vinglish in Hindi cinema

The Hindu 13 Mar 2018

Prior to 1947, quite a few Hindi lyrics served as a proxy war against the British. These included Chal Chal re Naujawan from Bandhan (1940) and the cheeky Door hato ae duniyawalon Hindustan Hamara hai from Kismet (1943) which incurred arrest warrants against lyricist Kavi Pradeep and composer Anil Biswas ... Rural-urban divide ... In fact, the first English song was even earlier in Karma (1933) starring Devika Rani ... ....

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Madhubala remembered by New York Times in its Overlooked obituary section

The Siasat Daily 10 Mar 2018

NEW YORK. A prominent American newspaper has doffed its hat to Bollywood legend Madhubala who is among 15 remarkable women across the world it pays homage to ... “Since 1851, obituaries in the New York Times have been dominated by white men ... She was 16 at the time ... The obituary also chronicles her tragic romance with Dilip Kumar (Muhammad Yusuf Khan, who like Madhubala was discovered and rechristened by Devika Rani) ... Read More ....

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Madhubala remembered by NYT in its 'Overlooked' obituary section

The Times of India 09 Mar 2018

A prominent American newspaper has doffed its cap to Bollywood legend Madhubala who is among 15 remarkable women across the world it pays homage to ... "Since 1851, obituaries in the New York Times have been dominated by white men ... "Obituary writing is more about life than death ... The obituary also chronicles her tragic romance with Dilip Kumar (Muhammad Yusuf Khan, who like Madhubala was discovered and rechristened by Devika Rani) ... ....

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NYT compares Madhubala's tragic life to Marilyn Monroe in 'overlooked' obituary section

DNA India 08 Mar 2018

the last word, a testament to a human contribution ... The condition was diagnosed in 1954 and there was no treatment for it.The obituary also chronicles her tragic romance with Dilip Kumar (Muhammad Yusuf Khan, who like Madhubala was discovered and rechristened by Devika Rani)."They had been eager to marry, but Madhubala s father had set conditions, including that they star in movies he would produce ... She chose her family....

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Sridevi or Hema Malini, who's Bollywood's first female superstar? Debate heats up on social media

International Business Times 26 Feb 2018

Hema Malini and SrideviVarinder Chawla/Getty Images ...  Hema rose to fame much before Sridevi, some netizens pointed out ... In earlier times, there were actresses like Suraiya, Devika Rani who commanded more screen space, had bigger fan following than any actor in their time ... Female Superstars . ... Sridevi had opening power, but she was by no means the first - Meena Kumari, probably Suraiya, quite likely Devika Rani - all had similar....

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An extraordinary blend of fact, fiction

Deccan Chronicle 18 Feb 2018

There is a reference to Radhey Shyam meeting the famous filmstar Devika Rani and her husband Nicholas Roerich, a Russian painter of repute. (Here it should be pointed out that Devika Rani never left her husband Himanshu Rai as stated by the author; Rai died in 1940. Devika Rani eloped with her co-star Najmul Hasan....

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To tame underage drivers, shame parents: Experts

The Times of India 18 Feb 2018

HYDERABAD. City traffic cops catch, on an average, 25 underage drivers every month who are found driving without licence. Even more shocking is a traffic police that states in 2017 over 130 road accident victims in Hyderabad were minors ... So, minors are more vulnerable to accidents than a mature adult,” said Dr Devika Rani K, psychiatrist and director of Amrita Foundation . ....

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