The individual credited with the first Indo-German film venture and the most sophisticated sound studio in the country of the time! Himansu Rai had a law degree and was in England to study for the Bar when Niranjan Pal, A highly talented playwright, offered him roles in his plays. Most notable of these was The Goddess. Pal had written the screenplay for Light of Asia based on the poem of the same name by Edwin Arnold. The life of Gautam Buddha was deemed by Rai an interesting subject and he took the script to Emelka Film Company of Munich.

1925 - Light of Asia.

Starring Rai as the Buddha and Sita Devi as Princess Gopa, the film had a German technical crew - Franz Osten (director), Bertl Schultes (assistant director), Willi Kiermier and Josef Wirsching (cameramen).

The film was extremely successful in the Continent, and the initially half-hearted response in London was turned around by the Royal Command performance organized by Rai and others. In India, the film was a failure. Audiences did not accept the slower pace and lack of melodrama in the film - the very features that won the film accolades abroad. Rai was praised for his ''solemn calm and controlled style'' while Sita Devi's ''meditative and balanced way of acting'' came in for applause.

 

The effort was a smooth one, as evidenced by Schultes' remark about Rai - '' I do not know how we would have managed without this magnificent actor...He rehearsed untiringly with actors and extras, managed to get the necessary permission for shooting at historical sites and with his reputation and appearance made it possible for certain strict bans to be lifted and all obstacles to be overcome....the most valuable accessories from the treasure chest of rajas, which so far had never been shown in a film, were at our disposal.''

1928 - Shiraz.

This film had Rai in the lead role of Shiraz, the potter's son who later designs the Taj Mahal. The story was a historically-inaccurate account of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jehan, but the movie was a success.

1929 - A Throw of Dice.

A joint production with British Instructional Films Limited, London, the film was made by Rai and the German, headed by Franz Osten as director.

Spectacle was by no means missing in this film! The Maharaja of Mysore lent fifty elephants and the grandeur of the gathering at Saint Chishti's tomb in Pushkar (state : Rajasthan) added to the success of the film.

It was during this film that Himansu Rai and Devika Rani fell in love, and married once the film was complete.

 

The introduction of sound prompted Rai to study the technicalities of the procedure and he got the chance to do so in Germany during UFA's first sound film The Blue Angel (1929). The Depression led to a crisis in the film industry worldwide and sounded the death knell of joint ventures.

1933 - Karma.

The studio's first sound film.

1934 - Bombay Talkies launched.

This was a joint stock company with a distinguished Board of Directors - F.E. Dinshaw, Sir Chimanlal Setalvad, Sir Chunilal B. Mehta, Sir Richard Temple, Sir Pheroze Sethna, Sir Sohrabji Pochkhanawala, and Sir Cowasji Jehangir.

Franz Osten directed all Bombay Talkies films of the 30s, and Niranjan Pal joined the team as writer.

The studio itself was unsurpassed - with sound- and echo- proof stages, editing rooms, automatic laboratories, preview theatre, carpentry, among other facilities.

1935 - Jawani Ki Hawa.

Devika Rani starred in this highly successful thriller.

 

Khorshed Minocher-Homji, renamed Saraswati Devi, composed the music while her sister (renamed Chandraprabha) acted in the film. They were conservative Parsis and many of their community surrounded the Imperial Cinema in protest. Rather than pose a problem, this act provided a lot of publicity to the studio and the film!

1936 - Jeevan Naiya.

This was Ashok Kumar's debut film.

- Achchut Kanya.

 

Ashok Kumar and Devika Rani starred in this film that was hailed as a masterpiece. The true-to-life dialogues, Saraswatidevi's music contributed to the success but it was Devika Rani's luminous performance that stole the show. The Times of India described hers as ''a performance never seen equalled on the Indian screen. It is absolutely inspired.''

- Janam Bhoomi.

The film repeated the lead pair of the previous films.

1937 - Izzat.

 

- Jeevan Prabhat.

- Savitri.

This was based on the story of Satyavam and Savitri - an oft-repeated subject - but without the element of fantasy.

1939 - Kangan.

The film introduced another new star, Leela Chitnis.

The Second World War had led to the German team being held as prisoners of war by the colonial government - the Indian technicians continued with production. The film and its music were highly popular.

With Himansu Rai's death in May 1940, Devika Rani had control. She chose Amiya Chatterjee and S. Mukherjee to act as independent producers.

1940 - Punar Milan.

1941 - Jhoola

- Naya Sansar.

This was the first Indian film on journalists and newspapers.

1943 - Kismet.

The film was a successful thriller.

Both Naya Sansar and Kismet established new genres in film-making.

 

1954 - Bombay Talkies closed down.

Devika Rani later married the Russian painter Svetoslav Roerich, and became in 1970 the first awardee of the Dadasaheb Phalke award for ''outstanding service to the film industry.''

 

SOURCE

So Many Cinemas
Author - B.D. Garga
Publishers - Eminence Designs Private Limited.

Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema.
Author -Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen
Publishers -Oxford University Press.

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