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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
Raj Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor
Products
Owners
  • Randhir Kapoor
  • Rishi Kapoor
  • Rajiv Kapoor
ParentR. K. Studios LTD

R. K. Films was an Indian film production company based in R. K. Studio, a film studio, both established by and named after the Bollywood actor Raj Kapoor.[1] It was headquartered at Chembur, Mumbai. Founded in 1948, one year after India 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

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

R. K. Films was formed in 1948 by Raj Kapoor in Chembur.[2]

After the commercial failure of the studio's first venture, Aag (1948), it found success with Barsaat (1949). After this success, the company's logo was designed to imitate the poster of Barsaat. RK Films produced many successful films such as Awaara (1951), Boot Polish, Jagte Raho and Shree 420. Awaara was particularly successful, not just in India, but all over the world. Many R. K. Films movies featured Kapoor opposite actress Nargis. Kapoor appeared in 15 R. K. films with Nargis and travelled around the world with her to promote the studio's films. The music team of Shankar Jaikishan also worked frequently on R. K. Films productions during this period.[3] Starting with Awaara (1951), Radhu Karmakar shot 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, including Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai (1960), Mera Naam Joker (1970), Bobby (1973), Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978), Prem Rog (1982) and Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985), Kapoor's last film. In the 1970s, Kapoor's eldest son Randhir Kapoor joined his father at the studio, and made his acting and directorial debut with Kal Aaj Aur Kal in 1971, which also starred his future wife Babita, father Raj and grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor. He went on to direct two more films with the company Dharam Karam (1975) and an incomplete film left by Raj, which he completed after his father's death in 1988 and Henna (1991). Raj's brother Shashi Kapoor also appeared in several R. K. films. When Raj died in 1988, Randhir took over the studio. His younger brother Rajiv Kapoor directed Prem Granth in 1996 and Rishi Kapoor directed Aa 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. The Kapoor family has decided to sell the iconic R. K. Films and Studios, which was built by legendary actor Raj Kapoor nearly 70 years ago, due to growing losses. Located in Chembur, the studio was in the news September 2017, after a major fire broke out, leaving the place gutted. Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, Rishi Kapoor said 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 near Goregaon and Andheri. Being part of the Eastern suburbs, Chembur was 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.

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 film Barsaat, as can be seen in the poster for the movie.[6][7] The logo was later simplified. Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar has claimed that the logo was designed by Balasaheb Thackeray.[8] It may possibly have been inspired by The Kreutzer Sonata.[9]

R. K. Studio

The studio occupied nearly two acres of land in the Mumbai-suburb of Chembur. 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 (once Nargis's dressing & make-up room) was a treasure trove which was lost in the fire.[11] It included posters from Barsaat (1949), Awaara (1951), Aag (1948), Mera Naam Joker (1970) and Bobby (1973). It also had a large black umbrella that protected the couple from the studio rain in the song "Pyar Hua, Ikrar Hua" in Shree 420 (1955), Nargis's long black dress from Awaara, Vyjanthimala's sari(s) from Sangam, Dimple Kapadia's funky frocks from Bobby, Padmini's sari(s) from Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai, the dafali used in Mera Naam Raju (Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai) and even some of the hats Raj Kapoor wore in his films. These were lost in the fire. Rishi Kapoor regarded 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's Awaara with the Elephant-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 for Ram Teri Ganga Maili, 1985

Ref -[16]

Festivals at R. K. Studio

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

Filmography

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

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

Godrej Properties, 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

Bibliography

  • 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–. ISBN 978-81-8475-813-9.

References

  1. ^ Singh, Kushwant (6 November 1976). "Screen-Struck India". The Emporia Gazette. p. 2. Retrieved 8 December 2014 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ a b Bollywood: A History by Mihir Bose, Tempus, 2006, 0752428357
  3. ^ Cinema India by Divia Patel, Rutgers University Press, 2002, 0813531756.
  4. ^ "Memories through a lens". The Hindu. 6 June 2008. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  5. ^ "Randhir Kapoor keen to revive RK Films banner". The Times of India. The Times Group. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  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. ISBN 978-93-91028-34-3.
  10. ^ "Raj Kapoor celebrates Silver Jubilee of RK Films in Mumbai 25 years, WildFilmsIndia, Jul 20, 2017". YouTube. Archived from 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. Archived from 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. ISBN 978-0-19-808841-7. OCLC 840699363.
  17. ^ "RANBIR KAPOOR ने अपनी दादा Raj Kapoor के RK Studio में करी Ganesh पूजा, Mirchi Bollywood, Sep 14, 2016". YouTube. Archived from 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. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Aag (1948)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 30 April 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  20. ^ "Barsaat (1949)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  21. ^ "Awara (1951)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  22. ^ "Boot Polish (1954)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  23. ^ "Shree 420 (1955)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  24. ^ "Jagte Raho (1956)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  25. ^ "Ab Dilli Door Nahin (1957)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  26. ^ "Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1961)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  27. ^ "Dharam Karam (1975)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  28. ^ "Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  29. ^ "Biwi-O-Biwi (1981)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 28 October 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  30. ^ "Prem Rog (1982)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 14 May 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  31. ^ "Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  32. ^ "Henna (1991)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 9 April 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  33. ^ "Prem Granth (1996)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  34. ^ "Aa Ab Laut Chalen (1999)". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  35. ^ "3rd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  36. ^ "4th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  37. ^ "Iconic RK Studio Gets New Owner, Randhir Kapoor Says..." NDTV.com. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  38. ^ "Selling RK Studios was the need of the hour: Randhir Kapoor - Times of India". The Times of India. 4 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  39. ^ "R K Studios sold to Godrej Properties, confirms Randhir Kapoor". The Asian Age. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
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