#Devika Rani

[hotvintagepoll]

ONE VOTE. HOLY SHIT

(courtesy of this site)

it's midnight and i might just start weeping in my kitchen

[inmyworldblr]

Devika Rani

@hotvintagepoll

[amindindisarray]

Devika Rani on the sets of Izzat

[hibiscusbabyboy]

[bollywoodirect]

Remembering #DevikaRani on her birth anniversary (30/03). She was active during the 1930s & 1940s. Widely acknowledged as the first lady of Indian cinema. In this photo, she is with Shri #RabindranathTagore & #HImanshuRai in Berlin (1931). What are your favourite Devika Rani films?

[mysterioushimachal]

Explore the International Roerich Memorial Trust, Manali | A Cultural Heritage in Naggar

[nnmarudkar]

Jubilee

First thing first, Jubilee shows you the realism of the Bombay talkies era with an interval by building huge and royal studios, cinema reels, crew chairs, hand painted posters, an ambitious producer with business acumen, smoking pipe, outfits, and so much more. The series in itself is quite symbolic for the purpose of depicting the golden era. Yes, I call it a golden era. I read the show is pretty much inspired by the life of Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani. Let’s kickstart.

Praise worthy angles from the entire series that are responsible for the story:

Blazing journeys of 5 characters Roy, Binod, Jay, Niloufer, Walia

The unparalleled fate of 2 studios Khanna studio and Roy studio

The transformations, transitions, and evolving cinema with a blend of crime, love, conspiracy and fame.

Beginning, Rise and Fall

It is commendable to see how the makers combined the most essential attributes of the black and white cinema - Dialogues, Music, Drama and great frames.

The 3 compelling dialogues that summarize Cinema which are crafted beautifully in the film with the scene,

'Power is within this weapon of cinema.'

'Cinema can raise a level by giving the audience a taste of poetry, photography, music and aspirations.'

'Cinema can empower people.'

Let us put the stars on the shoulders of the team. Vikramaditya Motawane, Atul Sabharwal and Soumik Sen are the names. I should say, a gorgeous job on the series by all the teams.

Supposedly it has to be one of the most expensive projects as it costs a fortune to build a city entirely. Especially a city which used to look a certain way but not any more. It is bound to attract criticism, comparisons and judgements. Hence applause for the art department.

Moving to the title, Jubilee. Good one. The word Jubilee was significant in the non-bollywood era. It marked a big success of the film if it reaches Jubilee unlike the crore club where films are less than 2 stars but box office is 200 cr.

Vikramaditya Motawane has created a web series that is uncommon among current subjects. Lots of makers tried to recreate the golden era but most of them went unnoticed. I am fond of Khoya Khoya Chand for the infamous vintage era. However, reaching everybody through OTT through Jubilee with a 10 episode series of 50 minutes is a master thought. That breathing space to judge the success with an olden times ‘interval’ but of a week is outstanding. However, such a big risk.

Mentioning positives of the show to move with. It has a decent Star cast that is not very glittering and glam. Subtle and real. When you cut on the star factor you can actually see through the show and its potential. So I liked the cast to portray that era. Apararshakti Khurana as one of the leads is huge. Names to mention: Wamiqa Gabbi and Prosenjit Chatterjee. I am all praises for Wamiqa Gabbi. Simply Wow. She is a complete package of dance, acting, nakharas, ada and reality. An actress who very clearly takes you to the era of queens like Waheeda Rehman, Mala Sinha, Nutan and the list goes on. She does not imitate anybody. Prosenjit Chatterjee, an innovative and ahead of his time producer who wants to make a mark but probably wishes to stick to what sells on screen with a traditional cinema perspective. The curiosity that both Roy and Niloufer go on building in their own way is really good. Sidhant Gupta’s energy matches the character’s but his acting felt an over-do at times. But when he walks as a star is one act you can’t miss but notice. It shows a mix of stardom and simplicity. Great work there. He is the Guru Dutt effect as a one man show with actor-director qualities. Aditi Rao Hydari is just being herself, a beauty. Ram Kapoor, Shweta Basu are names known for good acting just like that. All the supporting actors have done a celebrated job in their roles. Amazing to watch Arun Govil in a web series. The casting decisions are appreciable. The character Govil plays as a calm father is peaceful for the eyes and ears.

Music is magnificent. Thanks to Amit Trivedi for giving one more album that can be put on loop. The compositions of jubilee prove that even today a melody is possible with sensible ‘Hindi’ lyrics which are louder than the music and each word, chord and instrument is heard and worth a praise. Kudos to Amit Trivedi and Kausar Munir for creating songs that calm people like us can humm. My personal favourites are Voh Tere Mere Ishq, Dariyacha Raja, Na Koi Mera and Saare Ke Saare Akele. Rest you would not like to skip as well. It has the sound of the period it belongs to. The lyrics bear to our usual spoken Hindi language - simple and understood. I can’t put this more straight. Those days were about melody and dialogues that hit the audience.

Dialogues as expected are filled with drama and conviction.

Favourite frame from the series is Jay and Nilo sitting on the road drenched in the rain in front of a theatre under the poster of Baiju Awara. Splendid! You do not have to show intimacy by stripping down and making love. Sometimes it's just the way you sketch love on screen. Quite a romantic frame. Other Mesmerizing frames:

Binod first in front of the fire that also marks the end frame of Roy in front of fire.

Sumitra sitting in front of the mirror in the train.

Roy, sitting in his private screening theatre, calls the man to project the reel.

Jay Khanna in his own studio on the first day against the Taxi cut out.

The last shot of Roy studio with lights dimming symbolizing the fall.

Jay Khanna’s cabin with Taxi Driver Poster of Jay and Nilo.

And the favourite of many, the RK inspired Jay and Niloufer umbrella scene.

I am glad to see one series with no skin show, no kissing at every alternate shot and most importantly close to no violence. Every other show today is either lust or violence with litres of blood flowing. This series is like detox.

Some curiosity creeps in. Was Phone tapping really a thing? Would the show not be as captivating as it was if tapping was not a part of the show? Mysterious.

Coming to an end resembles a Guru Dutt film with a song like Dekhi Zamane ki Yaari. Saare ke Saare Akele went on flipping pages and how heartbreaking every page was!

Looking at Jubilee overall,

What’s remarkable is the tragic ending given to all the characters like most of the yesteryear actors saw. It is not a fictitious act of drama. We have heard stories where either people disappeared from the industry or their demise was not a very pleasant one or some love stories were not as happy as their film’s or their stardom just vanished with a flop. I admire the way fiction was weaved with the inside stories from the film industry. But across 10 episodes we saw a lot of screen time invested in long pauses. Not sure why the typical fame was not shown like ordinary fans gathering around Madan or crowds at the red carpets of premieres. No premieres at all actually. But the pre-independence period, partition and its effect on the cinema industry was precisely connected. The makers very smartly keep awards at bay as filmfare started in 1954 and this story wraps up by 1953. Also, the details that were very well shown were salaried crew, technicians and even actors associated with the studio, the refugee camps, international interventions and the editing on negatives of the reel. What is incredible to see is the grey shade every character gets with situations. It's meticulous writing.

All the characters had a closure but I wonder what happened to Shamsher Walia.

I was waiting for the last ‘The End’ or ‘समाप्त’ after we saw Interval post the 1st batch of 5 episodes. But that did not come. Another season in making? Giving benefit of doubt as the glorious era of cinema has just started in Jubilee. But I must say first is the only first. What follows is to piggyback on the popularity of last success. It loses its charm. I hope the makers continue the legacy if they plan seasons.

To end this I would say Jubilee gives you the pictorial version of the tales and accounts narrated by the legends and insiders. I will not deny that the series seems stretched or sluggish at times but I think establishing the actors and an entire past generation will take its own time.

Jubilee is a must watch for people who believe in the essence of cinema and Hindi film industry of yesterday. It is for obsessed film lovers who have not yet fallen prey to Bollywood’s faux stardom.

[rajeevpradhan]

DEVIKA RANI THE ACTRESS AND FOUNDER OF BOMBEY TALKIES

[suchananewsblog]

"Bengali All The Way": Kajol Watches Cousin Rani Mukerji's Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway

Kajol shared this image. (courtesy: kajol) New Delhi: Rani Mukerji has returned to the big screen with Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway, which was released in theatres on March 17. The actress has been receiving much acclaim and praise from members of the film fraternity for her portrayal of Devika Chatterjee, a Bengali woman who has to fight against a nation to save her kids. The latest star to give…

[starbiopic]

Devika Rani Bold 4-Minute Kiss Scene in 1933 'Karma' Still Holds a Record

Back in the 1930s, when even simple romantic gestures were rare in Indian films, Devika Rani, the country’s first female superstar, pushed boundaries with a bold on-screen kiss. In the 1933 movie Karma, she shared a four-minute-long lip-lock with her co-star and real-life husband Himanshu Rai. This groundbreaking kiss remains the longest ever recorded in Indian cinema, and no film since has…

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Devika Rani (Achhut Kanya)—She was grandniece of Rabindranath Tagore (laureate). She was sent to boarding school in England at age nine and grew up there. After completing her schooling, she joined the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the Royal Academy of Music to study acting and music, at a time when aristocratic women did not enter showbiz. She studied filmmaking in Berlin. It is well known that she underwent training at the UFA Studios in the art and technique of acting under Eric Pommer, and other aspects of film production including costume and set designing and make-up, under eminent directors like GW Pabst, Fritz Lang, Emil Jannings and Josef von Sternberg. She is also reported to have worked with Marlene Dietrich. She had a multi-faceted personality and took on many responsibilities of film production at Bombay Talkies, a studio that she co-founded with Himanshu Rai in Mumbai in 1934. She often took care of hair and make up, supervised set design and editing, scouted for new talent and mentored them. She was the face of Bombay Talkies, and also the reason behind the political and financial backing the studio received, at a time when even women from red light districts refused to work as actresses. She was the first recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, when it was instituted in 1970.

Diahann Carroll (Paris Blues, Carmen Jones, Porgy and Bess)— Face of an angel. She had the range. She brought chemistry with every romance she portrayed. She also had a great fashion sense, and was so pretty Mattel made a doll based off of her.

This is round 4 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Devika Rani:

Achhut Kanya (1936) is the only one of hers I've seen but hot DAMN

Diahann Carroll:

Another groundbreaking black actress, although she might be better remembered for her television roles. She was also an activist and worked with charities to support women in need.

here she is hanging out with shadow prince anthony perkins :3

[inmyworldblr]

Devika Rani in a still from Nirmala (1938)

[ dir. Franz Osten ]

[cacatoto-2024]

Devika Rani Chaudhuri, yang biasanya dikenal sebagai Devika Rani (30 Maret 1908 – 9 Maret 1994),[1] adalah seorang aktris dalam perfilman India yang aktif pada 1930an dan 1940an. Lebih dikenal sebagai first lady dari sinema India, Devika Rani memiliki karier film yang sukses yang berjalan selama 10 tahun.

[phenakistoskope]

i want to revisit this diatribe, and complicate it, by adding that bollywood both is and isn't bombay cinema; bollywood is bombay cinema, in that it is a subset of bombay cinema, many of the early films in the bollywood canon do draw funds from bombay, in addition to neoliberal capital. and it isn't bombay cinema because it abandons the aspirations to socialist realism that the old bombay cinema attempted to profess, reflecting the altered conditions of economic production.

additionally, dilwale dulhania le jayenge (1995) isn't just the beginning of a particular incarnation of bombay cinema, it is also the culmination of a process of incorporating india into the world through cinema, which began a long time ago, as the indian economy turned away from "nehruvian "socialism"", and even before it.

for one thing, prior to the establishment of india as a nation state, the co-production of films with established european nation-states was already under way. the historic bombay talkies film studio, founded by devika rani and himanshu rai, was already collaborating with german film-makers, notably with franz osten, producing films such as prem sanyas (1925) acchut kanya (1936) and jeevan naiya (1936), all of which were ostensibly socialist realist films, dealing with issues of caste and labour.

and it wasn't like hindi cinema prior to the 1990s didn't shoot abroad, singapore (1960) starred shammi kapoor as a businessman who owns a rubber plantation in singapore, the film was co-produced with malaysia. there was sangam (1964), shot in london, paris, and switzerland; it broke the bank and the box office. love in tokyo (1966) and an evening in paris (1967) followed, and by 1970, yash raj films had been founded, it was the studio that would begin incorporating foreign locations into its musical numbers, and eventually go on to release dilwale dulhania le jayenge. my point is that cinematic categories do not fall from the sky, they are products of historical processes that can only be discerned in hindsight, when you follow the telltale trails left by the circumstances of their production.

There is a difference between Bollywood and Bombay cinema?

listen, subcontinental cinema began in bombay; the very first exhibition of the lumieres' cinematographe was held there in 1896, a few months after its debut in paris, 1895. this event predates the discursive existence of bollywood and hollywood. shree pundalik and raja harishchandra, the films that are generally considered the very first subcontinental features were also exhibited there first.

subcontinental cinema under british colonialism was produced in certain metropolitan centers such as lahore, hyderabad, and calcutta; bombay was just one of them. in 1947, when the indian nation state was formally inaugurated, the idea of a "national cinema" began forming, but given the cultural and linguistic heterogeneity of the indian union, this was quite untenable. regional popular cinemas flourished well into the 1950, 60s, 70s, and 80s and various art cinemas began taking shape alongside.

under the economy that i'm going to completely elide as "nehruvian "socialism"" bombay cinema focused on broadly "socialist" themes, think of awara (1951), do beegha zameen (1953), pyaasa (1957), all of which focus on inequality in indian economy and society from different perspectives. these films were peppered in with historical dramas, and adaptations from literature, but the original stories tended towards socialist realism. reformist films centering the family generally waxed poetic on the need to reform the family, but i haven't seen enough of these to really comment on them.

the biggest hit of the 70s, sholay (1975) was about two criminals, posited as heroes fighting gabbar singh who was attacking village folk. deewar (1975) also had two heroes, and the stakes were the two brothers' father's reputation; the father in question was a trade union leader accused of corruption.

"alternative cinema" included mani kaul's uski roti (1969) and Duvidha (1973) both of which were situated away from the city. then there's sayeed mirza and his city films, most of them set in bombay; arvind desai ki ajeeb dastan (1978), albert pinto ko gussa kyun aata hain (1980), saleem langre pe mat ro (1989) which are all extremely socialist films, albert pinto was set in the times of the bombay textiles strike of 1982 and literally quotes marx at one point. my point is that bombay cinema prior to liberalization was varied in its themes and representations, and it wasn't interested in being a "national cinema" very much, it was either interested in maximizing its domestic profits or being high art. note that these are all hindi language films, produced in bombay, or at least using capital from bombay. pyaasa, interestingly enough is set in calcutta, but it was filmed in bombay!

then we come to the 1990s, and i think the ur example of the bollywood film is dilwale dulhania le jayenge (1995) which, in stark contrast to the cinema that preceded it, centered two NRIs, simran and raj, who meet abroad, but epitomize their love in india, and go back to england (america?) as indians with indian culture. this begins a long saga of films originating largely in bombay that target a global audience of both indians and foreigners, in order to export an idea of india to the world. this is crucial for a rapidly neoliberalizing economy, and it coincides with the rise of the hindu right. gradually, urdu recedes from dialogue, the hindi is sankritized and cut with english, the indian family is at the center in a way that's very different for the social reform films of the 50s and 60s. dil chahta hai (2001) happens, where good little indian boys go to indian college, but their careers take them abroad. swadesh (2004) is about shah rukh khan learning that he's needed in india to solve its problems and leaves a job at NASA.

these are incidental, anecdotal illustrations of the differences in narrative for these separate eras of cinema, but let me ground it economically and say that bollywood cinema seeks investments and profits from abroad as well as acclaim and viewership from domestic audiences, in a way that the bombay cinema before it did not, despite the success of shree 420 (1955) in the soviet union; there were outliers, there always have been.

there's also a lot to say about narrative and style in bombay cinema (incredibly diverse) and bollywood cinema (very specific use of hollywood continuity, intercut with musical sequences, also drawn from hollywood). essentially, the histories, political economies, and aesthetics of these cinemas are too differentiated to consider them the same. bombay cinema is further internally differentiated, and that's a different story altogether. look, i could write a monograph on this, but that would take time, so let me add some reading material that will elucidate this without sounding quite as fragmented.

bollywood and globalization: indian popular cinema, nation, and diaspora, rini bhattacharya mehta and rajeshwari v. pandharipande (eds)

ideology of the hindi film: a historical construction, madhav prasad

the 'bollywoodization' of the indian cinema: cultural nationalism in a global arena, ashish rajadhyaksha

the globalization of bollywood: an ethnography of non-elite audiences in india, shakuntala rao

indian film, erik barnouw and s. krishnaswamy (this one's a straight history of subcontinental cinema up to the 60s, nothing to do with bollywood, it's just important because the word bollywood never comes up in it despite the heavy focus on hindi films from bombay, illustrating my point)

[bollywoodirect]

Devika Rani and Najam Ul Hasan in Jawani Ki Hawa (1935). Original Sumitra Kumari and Jamshed Khan. #Jubilee

[heavenboy09]

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To You

The Radiant & Outstanding Indian American Actress🧡 🇮🇳 Of The 2015 Film ,The Man Who Knew Infinity ♾

Born On March 29th, 1991

Bhise was born and raised in Manhattan, New York City, and is of Indian descent. She attended The Brearley School, an all-girl private school in Manhattan, and Johns Hopkins University, where she won the Hodson Trust Scholarship and was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow under the mentorship of John Astin. While at Johns Hopkins University, she acted in Ira Hauptman's play, The Partition, based on the life of Ramanujan, which contributed to her being cast in the film years later.

She is an American actress, best known for her performance in The Man Who Knew Infinity, starring Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons, and for her role as Antoinette Benneteau in The Rookie: Feds.

She starred in television series such as Elementary and One Bad Choice until she was cast in The Man Who Knew Infinity with Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons. She also performed in 'Impossible Monsters' which also starred Chris Henry Coffey and Geofrey Owens in 2020 as a university student being part of a study on sleep paralysis. She was seen next as the lead role in The Warrior Queen of Jhansi, the biopic on Indian queen Rani Lakshmibai, acting opposite Derek Jacobi and Rupert Everett.

She has also been honored by Asia Society as a leader in "socio-cultural developments that have long-term impact on the presentation and response to Asian-American culture" and has been an ongoing contributor to The Asia Foundation.

Please Wish This Radiant & Truly Talented Indian American Actress 🧡🇮🇳

A Very Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

MS. DEVIKA BHISE 🧡🇮🇳

  #DevikaBhise #TheManWhoKnewInfinity #TheWarriorQueenOfJhansi