Devika Rani

Devika Rani Biography

Devika Rani was one of the earliest actresses of Indian cinema. She concentrated most on Hindi movies. When Dadasaheb Phalke Award was instituted to appreciate people belonging to Indian Cinema for their valuable contributions for the growth of this art, Devika Rani was awarded first in the year 1969. She is the great-grandniece of the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. She was related matrilineal to Tagore. Her father, Col. M. N. Chaudhuri, was the first Indian Surgeon-General of Madras. She is also known for the first longest onscreen kissing scene in Indian cinema. It happened long back in 1933 and though the other person was her real husband, Himanshu Rai it was controversial and considered taboo in the then culturally orthodox India. This scene was deleted from the film. Yet this real life couple is credited with the title of second onscreen kissing pair of Indian cinema, first one being Seeta Devi and Charu Roy in ‘A throw of Dice’ (1929). Devika is also credited for discovering the talented actor – Dilip Kumar.

Devika Rani Chaudhuri was born in Vishakhapatnam on March 30, 1908. She completed her early schooling in the early 1920s. Later she studied drama from (RADA) and the Royal Academy of Music in London, UK, where she won scholarships. Architecture, textile and decor design were her other subjects. It was through scriptwriter Niranjan Pal that she entered movies. He has written scripts of many successful movies of Devika. Devika Rani married Indian producer and actor Himanshu Rai in 1929. Famous Production Company of yesterdays, which produced numerous hits during the earliest era of Hindi movies, Bombay talkies was founded by them.

Ashok Kumar was working as laboratory assistant then when Himanshu Rai casted him as the leading actor of the movie, Achut Kanya. This movie telling the love story of a Brahmin boy and low caste girl is regarded as one of the landmark movies of Hindi cinema. Devika starred opposite Ashok Kumar and this movie is regarded as her most memorable one. Widowed in 1940, she fought for control of her husband's studio Bombay Talkies. But when many leading actors left Bombay Talkies, it lost its shine. Devika married Russian painter Svetoslav Roerich in 1945 and left film field forever.

Published: N/A

Updated: October 24, 2013