Devika Rani
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Devika Rani Chaudhuri Roerich (March 30, 1908 – March 9, 1994) was an early Indian movie star.
[edit] Career
Born in Waltair (now Vishakhapatnam), Devika Rani came from a distinguished background: she was the grand-niece of the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and her father, Col. M.N. Chaudhuri, was the first Indian Surgeon-General of Madras (the city now known as Chennai). Her mother's name was Mrs. Leela Chaudhuri.
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, the first Hindi sound film. 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.
Achhut Kanya (1936), her most notable film, told the story of a relationship between an untouchable girl (played by herself) and a Brahman boy (played by Ashok Kumar).
[edit] Later life
Widowed in 1940, she fought for control of her husband's studio Bombay Talkies, she had to share control with Sashadhar Mukherjee , but in 1943 Sashadhar , Ashok Kumar and a lot of Bombay talkies veterans left and formed a new studio -Filmistan. After that Bombay Talkies started to fade, she married Russian painter Svetoslav Roerich in 1945. She left films and joined her husband in Bangalore.[1]
In 1958, the President of India honoured Devika Rani with a Padma Shri. In 1970, she became the first recipient of the prestigious film prize Dadasaheb Phalke Award. At her funeral, Devika Rani was given full state honours.
In later years, she settled in Bangalore with her husband Svetoslav Roerich and built the Tataguni estate on Kanakpura road. The estate is famous for the dispute over the estate after her death as the Indian and Russian governments and relatives went to court over the estate.
