''Karma'' is a 1933 bilingual film starring

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 ...

and

Himanshu Rai 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. He was associated with a number of movies, including ''Goddess'' (1922), ''The Light of Asia ...

. The film was directed by J.L. Freer Hunt and was a joint production between India, Germany and United Kingdom. ''Karma'' featured a four-minute kissing scene between the lead actors—Devika Rani and Rai—the longest in an Indian film. However, this has been incorrectly reported. The kissing scene features a series of kisses and is less than 2 minutes long.

Plot

The story is about a princess (played by Devika Rani) who falls in love with a neighbouring prince much to the disapproval of the latter's father.

Cast

as The Princess * Sudha Rani as Her Companion *

Himansu Rai 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. He was associated with a number of movies, including ''Goddess'' (1922), ''The Light of Asia ...

as The Prince * Dewan Sharar as His Father, the Maharaja * Abraham Sofaer as The Holy Man * Kander as The Beggar * Anil Chakrabarti as The Beater * Ranabir Sen as His Father * Amal Banerji as The Snake Charmer

Production

The female lead Devika Rani, the grand niece of

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 ...

was professionally associated with Rai even before the two married in 1929. Impressed by her talent, Rai decided to cast her in the film alongside him. Abraham Sofaer was cast in a pivotal role as a "Holy Man". The screenplay was co-written by Rai and Freer Hunt. The music was composed by German composer Ernst Broadhurst. Devika Rani had recorded a song in the film including the Hindi version. ''Karma'', an "Indo-German-British" collaboration, was released two years after the ''

Alam Ara ''Alam Ara'' () is a 1931 Indian Hindustani-language historical fantasy film directed and produced by Ardeshir Irani. It revolves on a king and his two wives, Navbahaar and Dilbahaar, who are childless; soon, a '' fakir'' (Muhammad Wazir Khan) ...

'' (1931), the first Indian talkie. ''Karma'' was made targeting the international audience. The film was entirely shot in India while the post-production process was carried out in Stoll Studios, London. The film was the first talkie produced by Rai.

Release

The film initially premiered in London in May 1933. Devika Rani's performance was lauded by the critics in London. However, when the film was released later in Hindi as ''Naagan Ki Raagini'', it failed to impress the Indian audience. The film was among the first in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

to feature an on-screen kiss. The four-minute long scene between Devika Rani and Rai, her husband in real life, is also known to being the longest such scene in Indian cinema. Upon release, the film became controversial in the then "orthodox India" for featuring a kissing scene.

Legacy

Though largely ignored in India during its release, ''Karma'' is considered a landmark in Indian cinema due to its unprecedented kissing scene. In 2012, ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

'' described it as the "first Indian talkie with English dialogue which set all London talking".

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0155799
Full movie on YouTube

Nagan Ki Ragini
on indiancine.ma

on filmifiza.com

1933 films Indian multilingual films 1930s Hindi-language films Articles containing video clips Indian black-and-white films Indian romantic drama films 1933 romantic drama films 1933 multilingual films 1930s English-language films