Himanshu Rai (1892 – 16 May 1940), one of the pioneers of Indian cinema, is best known as the founder of the studio in 1934, along with

Devika Rani Devika Rani Choudhuri (30 March 1908 – 9 March 1994), usually known as Devika Rani, was an Indian actress who was active in Hindi films during the 1930s and 1940s. Widely acknowledged as the first lady of Indian cinema, Devika Rani ha ...

. He was associated with a number of movies, including ''Goddess'' (1922), ''

The Light of Asia ''The Light of Asia'', or ''The Great Renunciation'' (''Mahâbhinishkramana''), is a book by Sir Edwin Arnold. The first edition of the book was published in London in July 1879. In the form of a narrative poem, the book endeavours to describ ...

'' (1925), ''

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As o ...

'' (1928), ''

A Throw of Dice ''A Throw of Dice'' (''Prapancha Pash'') is a 1929 silent film by German-born director Franz Osten, based on an episode from the Indian epic ''Mahabharata''. Plot summary The movie is about two kings vying for the love of a hermit's daughter, t ...

'' (1929) and ''Karma'' (1933). He was married to actress

Chaudhuri (1929–1940).Himanshu Rai, the boss of Bombay Talkies, and his two wives
/ref>

Biography

Born into an aristocratic Bengali family, Rai spent several years in

Santiniketan Santiniketan is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, and later expanded by his son ...

for his schooling. After obtaining a law-degree from

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

, he went to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to become a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

. There, he met a playwright and screenwriter

Niranjan Pal Niranjan Pal (17 August 1889 – 9 November 1959) was an Indian playwright, screenwriter, and director in the Indian film industry in the silent and early talkie days. He was a close associate of Himanshu Rai and Franz Osten, with whom he was a fo ...

. That association led to the making of a film, ''

'', which he co-directed with

Franz Osten Franz Osten (23 December 1876 in Munich – 2 December 1956) was a Bavaria, Bavarian filmmaker who along with Himansu Rai was among the first retainers of Bombay Talkies. Osten partnered with Rai on a number of India's earliest blockbuster film ...

. Rai was also one of the main actors in this film. While making his third film, ''

Prapancha Pash ''A Throw of Dice'' (''Prapancha Pash'') is a 1929 silent film by German-born director Franz Osten, based on an episode from the Indian epic ''Mahabharata''. Plot summary The movie is about two kings vying for the love of a hermit's daughter, ...

'', he met and fell in love with

, a great-grandniece of the

Nobel Laureate The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make out ...

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

. Before this film was complete, he married her.

Bombay Talkies

At Bombay Talkies studio, Rai partnered with

Sashadhar Mukherjee Sashadhar Mukherjee (29 September 1909 – 3 November 1990) was an Indian filmmaker in Hindi cinema. He started his career with Bombay Talkies in the 1930s, and later established Filmistan Studio with Rai Bahadur Chunilal (father of music direc ...

, and Mukherjee's brother in law worked as a technician in the studio. Due to suspected romantic liaisons between his wife and the leading man
Najmul Hasan
in Jeevan Naiya(film), Himanshu sacked the leading man and cast the gawky and reluctant brother-in-law

Ashok Kumar Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family. He ...

as the leading man. Kumar went on to have a successful career in films. After Rai's death, there was a struggle for studio control. His widow Devika Rani was in conflict with Sashadhar Mukherjee. Eventually there was dual control and alternate production of films by the two camps. During this era Mukherjee produced the studio's biggest hit '' Kismet'' in 1943. Then Mukherjee broke away to form

Filmistan Studio Filmistan is an Indian film studio based in Goregaon, Mumbai. Spread over five acres, near Patkar College on S.V. Road, the studio has seven shooting floors, and a temple and garden for outdoor locations. Patkar College's reputation has incr ...

in partnership, and Devika Rani, fully in charge of the studio, did not have as much success. In 1945, Devika Rani married

Svetoslav Roerich Svetoslav Nikolaevich Roerich (russian: Светослáв or Святослáв Никола́евич Рéрих; 23 October 1904 – 30 January 1993) was a Russian painter based in India. He was the son of Helena and Nicholas Roerich, stud ...

and moved away from Bombay and films. Ashok Kumar and Mukherjee made a bid to revive Bombay talkies and produced one big hit in '' Mahal''. Eventually, the studio shut down and is now a decrepit property in

Malad Malad (Pronunciation: aːlaːɖ is a suburb located in North Mumbai. Malad has a railway station on the Western line (Mumbai Suburban Railway) of the Mumbai Suburban Railway, lying between Kandivali station to the north and Goregaon station t ...

Filmography

Producer

* ''Kangan'' (1939) / The Bangle (English title) * '' Izzat'' (1937) * ''

Jeevan Prabhat ''Jeevan Prabhat'' (Dawn Of Life) is a 1937 Hindi film social drama, produced by Bombay Talkies and directed by Franz Osten. The music director was Saraswati Devi with lyrics and dialogues by J. S. Casshyap. The screenplay was by Niranjan Pa ...

'' (1937) * '' Savitri'' (1937) * ''

Achhut Kanya ''Achhut Kannya'' ( en, Untouchable Maiden, italic=yes) is a 1936 Indian Hindi film. Among the early super-hits in the Bombay film industry, the film deals with the social position of Dalit girls and is considered a reformist period-piece. T ...

'' (1936) / Untouchable Girl (English title) * '' Janmabhoomi'' (1936) * ''

Jeevan Naiya ''Jeevan Naiya'' is a 1936 Hindi film directed by Franz Osten, and produced by Himanshu Rai for his studio Bombay Talkies. It is famous for being the screen debut early superstar Ashok Kumar. The film is about the ostracism of dancing girls. ...

'' (1936) * '' Jawani Ki Hawa'' (1935) / Leichtsinn der Jugend (Germany title) * ''

Karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...

'' (1933) * ''

'' (1929) / A Throw of Dice (English title) / Schicksalswürfel (Germany title) * ''Shiraz'' (1928) / Grabmal einer großen Liebe (Germany title)

Actor

*''Karma'' (1933) *''Prapancha Pash'' (1929) / A Throw of Dice (English title) / Schicksalswürfel (Germany title) *''Shiraz'' (1928) / Grabmal einer großen Liebe (Germany title) *''Prem Sanyas'' (1925) / Leuchte Asiens (Germany title)

Writer

*''

'' (1936) / Untouchable Girl (English title)

Director

*''Prem Sanyas'' (1925) / Leuchte Asiens (Germany title)

References

External links

*
Bombay talkies and her forgotten heroesNajam-Ul-Hasan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rai, Himanshu 1892 births 1940 deaths People from Cuttack Bengali Hindus Indian male film actors Film producers from Odisha Male actors in Hindi cinema 20th-century Indian male actors Hindi-language film directors 20th-century Indian film directors Hindi film producers Male actors from Odisha Film directors from Odisha