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R. K. Films

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R. K. Films
Company typePrivate
IndustryBollywood
Founded1948
FounderRaj Kapoor
HeadquartersChembur,Mumbai,Maharashtra
Key people
Karisma Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor
Products
Owners
  • Randhir Kapoor
  • Rishi Kapoor
  • Rajiv Kapoor
ParentR. K. Studios LTD

R. K. Filmswas an Indian film production company based inR. K. Studio,a film studio, both established by and named after theBollywoodactorRaj Kapoor.[1]It was headquartered atChembur, Mumbai.Founded in 1948, one year afterIndia gained independence.It had a rough start, as its first movie,Aag(1948) did not perform well at the box office. Most of the R. K. Films productions share a common theme of criticising society and depicting love across social divides.

History

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R.K. Film and R. K. Studio entrance, Chembur, Mumbai

R. K. Films was formed in 1948 byRaj Kapoorin Chembur.[2]

After the commercial failure of the studio's first venture,Aag(1948), it found success withBarsaat(1949). After this success, the company's logo was designed to imitate the poster ofBarsaat.RK Films produced many successful films such asAwaara(1951),Boot Polish,Jagte RahoandShree 420.Awaarawas particularly successful, not just in India, but all over the world. Many R. K. Films movies featured Kapoor opposite actressNargis.Kapoor appeared in 15 R. K. films withNargisand travelled around the world with her to promote the studio's films. The music team ofShankar Jaikishanalso worked frequently on R. K. Films productions during this period.[3]Starting withAwaara(1951),Radhu Karmakarshot all of Kapoor's subsequent films for four decades, till his last,Ram Teri Ganga Maili(1985).[4]

R. K. Films produced many films in the next few decades, includingJis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai(1960),Mera Naam Joker(1970),Bobby(1973),Satyam Shivam Sundaram(1978),Prem Rog(1982) andRam Teri Ganga Maili(1985), Kapoor's last film. In the 1970s, Kapoor's eldest sonRandhir Kapoorjoined his father at the studio, and made his acting and directorial debut withKal Aaj Aur Kalin 1971, which also starred his future wifeBabita,father Raj and grandfatherPrithviraj Kapoor.He went on to direct two more films with the companyDharam Karam(1975) and an incomplete film left by Raj, which he completed after his father's death in 1988 andHenna(1991). Raj's brotherShashi Kapooralso appeared in several R. K. films. When Raj died in 1988, Randhir took over the studio. His younger brotherRajiv KapoordirectedPrem Granthin 1996 andRishi KapoordirectedAa Ab Laut Chalen(1999). Hereafter, the Kapoors have produced no more films under the R. K. Films banner.[5]Unlike other Bollywood studios of the time period, R.K. Films was able to preserve all the costumes used in its films.[2]

On 16 September 2017, R. K. Studio caught fire and collapsed. A massive fire broke out in the studio during the shoot of a television reality show and the studio was engulfed in fire. TheKapoor familyhas decided to sell the iconic R. K. Films and Studios, which was built by legendary actorRaj Kapoornearly 70 years ago, due to growing losses. Located inChembur,the studio was in the news September 2017, after a major fire broke out, leaving the place gutted. Speaking toMumbai Mirror,Rishi Kapoorsaid on behalf of the family: "The investment in rebuilding the studio would just not have yielded sufficient revenue to keep it going. Even before the fire, for years R. K. Studio had become a huge white elephant, toting up losses."

He mentioned that the number of bookings had decreased substantially over the years with producers preferring studios nearGoregaonandAndheri.Being part of the Eastern suburbs,Chemburwas no longer seen as a lucrative shooting space, like it was back in the 40s and 50s. The Kapoors even considered renovating the whole space with cutting-edge technology; however, the fire last year made their plans to revive the studios even more unrealistic.

The handful of clients using the studios had started demanding free parking space, air-conditioning, and discounts, claims Rishi, which had further added to the losses. A team employed by the family has initiated the negotiations for the sale of the premises.

[edit]
A poster for film Barsaat, 1949, which also shows the logo of the R.K. Films

The logo of R. K. Films is based on a scene from the filmBarsaat,as can be seen in the poster for the movie.[6][7]The logo was later simplified. Bollywood actorManoj Kumarhas claimed that the logo was designed byBalasaheb Thackeray.[8]It may possibly have been inspired byThe Kreutzer Sonata.[9]

R. K. Studio

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The studio occupied nearly two acres of land in theMumbai-suburb ofChembur.The studio's main building was constructed in the early 1950s.Raj Kapoor's cottage was behind this building where he often organized small intimate meetings and functions. The 25th anniversary of R. K. Films was celebrated here.[10]

There was a makeshift museum (onceNargis's dressing & make-up room) was a treasure trove which was lost in the fire.[11]It included posters fromBarsaat(1949),Awaara(1951),Aag(1948),Mera Naam Joker(1970) andBobby(1973). It also had a large black umbrella that protected the couple from the studio rain in the song "Pyar Hua, Ikrar Hua"inShree 420(1955),Nargis's long black dress fromAwaara,Vyjanthimala's sari(s) fromSangam,Dimple Kapadia's funky frocks fromBobby,Padmini's sari(s) fromJis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai,thedafaliused inMera Naam Raju(Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai) and even some of the hatsRaj Kapoorwore in his films. These were lost in the fire.Rishi Kapoorregarded that as the greatest loss due to the fire.[12]

The sets constructed at the studio included:[13]

  • Set for "Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi"dream sequence in Kapoor'sAwaarawith theElephant-inspired image[14]
  • Set for "Pyar Hua Ikrar Hua"[15]
  • Haveli Set for song "Yeh Galiyan Yeh Chaubara Yahan Aana Na Dobara",Prem Rog,1982
  • Banares set forRam Teri Ganga Maili,1985

Ref-[16]

Festivals at R. K. Studio

[edit]

Festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi (Ganapati)[17]and Holi[18]were regularly celebrated by the Kapoor family together with their distinguished guests.

Filmography

[edit]
Title Year Director Ref.
Aag 1948 Raj Kapoor [19]
Barsaat 1949 Raj Kapoor [20]
Awaara 1951 Raj Kapoor [21]
Aah 1953 Raja Nawhate
Boot Polish 1954 Prakash Arora [22]
Shree 420 1955 Raj Kapoor [23]
Jagte Raho 1956 Shambhu Mitra [24]
Ab Dilli Dur Nahin 1957 Amar Kumar [25]
Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai 1960 Radhu Karmakar [26]
Sangam 1964 Raj Kapoor
Mera Naam Joker 1970 Raj Kapoor
Kal Aaj Aur Kal 1971 Randhir Kapoor
Bobby 1973 Raj Kapoor
Dharam Karam 1975 Randhir Kapoor [27]
Satyam Shivam Sundaram 1978 Raj Kapoor [28]
Biwi-O-Biwi 1981 Rahul Rawail [29]
Prem Rog 1982 Raj Kapoor [30]
Ram Teri Ganga Maili 1985 Raj Kapoor [31]
Henna 1991 Randhir Kapoor [32]
Prem Granth 1996 Rajiv Kapoor [33]
Aa Ab Laut Chalen 1999 Rishi Kapoor [34]

Awards

[edit]
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1955 Shree 420[35] National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi Won
1956 Ek Din Ratre[36] National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali Won
1955 Boot Polish Filmfare Award for Best Film Won
1962 Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai Won
1986 Ram Teri Ganga Maili Won
1983 Prem Rog Nominated

Acquisition

[edit]

GodrejProperties, part of Godrej group, acquired R.K.Studios Land in 2018. The confirmation was publicly made on 3 May 2019. The company did not disclose the deal value. RK Studios sold to Godrej Properties will be made into a residential complex.[37][38][39]

See also

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Bibliography

[edit]
  • Ritu Nanda; Raj Kapoor (1991).Raj Kapoor, His Life and His Films.R.K. Films & Studios.
  • Madhu Jain (2009).Kapoors: The First Family of Indian Cinema.Penguin Books Limited. pp. 339–.ISBN978-81-8475-813-9.

References

[edit]
  1. ^Singh, Kushwant (6 November 1976)."Screen-Struck India".The Emporia Gazette.p. 2.Retrieved8 December2014– viaNewspapers.Open access icon
  2. ^abBollywood: A Historyby Mihir Bose, Tempus, 2006, 0752428357
  3. ^Cinema Indiaby Divia Patel, Rutgers University Press, 2002, 0813531756.
  4. ^"Memories through a lens".The Hindu.6 June 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 11 June 2008.Retrieved27 April2014.
  5. ^"Randhir Kapoor keen to revive RK Films banner".The Times of India.The Times Group.19 July 2013.Retrieved27 April2014.
  6. ^NEON, Quint (27 August 2018)."Was It a Painting That Inspired the Iconic RK Studio Logo?".TheQuint.
  7. ^"No media access - Interesting facts about RK Studios".The Times of India.
  8. ^"RK Films logo was Saheb's design: Manoj Kumar - Times of India".The Times of India.19 November 2012.
  9. ^Chaudhuri, Diptakirti (2022).The Bollywood Pocketbook of Iconic Dates.Hachette India. p. 1949.ISBN978-93-91028-34-3.
  10. ^"Raj Kapoor celebrates Silver Jubilee of RK Films in Mumbai 25 years, WildFilmsIndia, Jul 20, 2017".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 21 December 2021.
  11. ^Jain, Madhu (31 August 2018)."RK Studios: The final curtain".Livemint.
  12. ^"Rk Studios में लगी आग को लेकर Rishi ने कहा- बहुत नुकसान हो गया हमारा, NMF News, Sep 18, 2017".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 21 December 2021.
  13. ^"RK Studio Fire: From Awaara sequence to Karz, songs from iconic films shot at the gutted site".Firstpost.21 September 2017.
  14. ^"Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi, Shemaroo Filmi Gaane, Feb 16, 2014".YouTube.[dead YouTube link]
  15. ^"Shree 420 - Pyar Hua Ikrar Hua Hai Pyar Se, Shemaroo, Jul 19, 2010".YouTube.[dead YouTube link]
  16. ^Rohit. (2013).It's not over: structural drivers of the global economic crisis.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-808841-7.OCLC840699363.
  17. ^"RANBIR KAPOOR ने अपनी दादा Raj Kapoor के RK Studio में करी Ganesh पूजा, Mirchi Bollywood, Sep 14, 2016".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 21 December 2021.
  18. ^"How Raj kapoor's Holi Party has reversed downfall of Amitabh Bachchan's career, Bollywood Aajkal, Aug 29, 2017".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 21 December 2021.
  19. ^"Aag (1948)".Bollywood Hungama.Archived fromthe originalon 30 April 2012.Retrieved8 August2014.
  20. ^"Barsaat (1949)".Bollywood Hungama.Archived fromthe originalon 28 January 2013.Retrieved8 August2014.
  21. ^"Awara (1951)".Bollywood Hungama.Archived fromthe originalon 19 October 2012.Retrieved8 August2014.
  22. ^"Boot Polish (1954)".Bollywood Hungama.Archived fromthe originalon 28 January 2013.Retrieved8 August2014.
  23. ^"Shree 420 (1955)".Bollywood Hungama.Archived fromthe originalon 10 July 2012.Retrieved8 August2014.
  24. ^"Jagte Raho (1956)".Bollywood Hungama.Archived fromthe originalon 18 January 2012.Retrieved8 August2014.
  25. ^"Ab Dilli Door Nahin (1957)".Bollywood Hungama.Archived fromthe originalon 6 March 2012.Retrieved8 August2014.
  26. ^"Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1961)".Bollywood Hungama.Archived fromthe originalon 29 January 2013.Retrieved8 August2014.
  27. ^"Dharam Karam (1975)".Bollywood Hungama.Archived fromthe originalon 29 January 2013.Retrieved8 August2014.
  28. ^"Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978)".Bollywood Hungama.Archived fromthe originalon 30 June 2012.Retrieved8 August2014.
  29. ^"Biwi-O-Biwi (1981)".Bollywood Hungama.Archived fromthe originalon 28 October 2012.Retrieved8 August2014.
  30. ^"Prem Rog (1982)".Bollywood Hungama.Archived fromthe originalon 14 May 2012.Retrieved8 August2014.
  31. ^"Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985)".Bollywood Hungama.Archived fromthe originalon 28 February 2012.Retrieved8 August2014.
  32. ^"Henna (1991)".Bollywood Hungama.Archived fromthe originalon 9 April 2012.Retrieved8 August2014.
  33. ^"Prem Granth (1996)".Bollywood Hungama.Archived fromthe originalon 12 May 2012.Retrieved8 August2014.
  34. ^"Aa Ab Laut Chalen (1999)".Bollywood Hungama.Archived fromthe originalon 12 October 2012.Retrieved8 August2014.
  35. ^"3rd National Film Awards"(PDF).Directorate of Film Festivals.Retrieved1 September2011.
  36. ^"4th National Film Awards"(PDF).Directorate of Film Festivals.Retrieved2 September2011.
  37. ^"Iconic RK Studio Gets New Owner, Randhir Kapoor Says..."NDTV.Retrieved4 May2019.
  38. ^"Selling RK Studios was the need of the hour: Randhir Kapoor - Times of India".The Times of India.4 May 2019.Retrieved4 May2019.
  39. ^"R K Studios sold to Godrej Properties, confirms Randhir Kapoor".The Asian Age.3 May 2019.Retrieved4 May2019.
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