Demise Of RK Studio, End Of An Era

Ravi Valluri

In recent days, headlines of leading newspapers, television channels and news portals have been abuzz with discussions about two events, unrelated though they are.

One, Teen Murti Bhawan would no longer be an exclusive place of edifice of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It will be converted into a memorabilia for all Prime Ministers of India. Perhaps, fair enough a decision. After all Red Fort is not the sole proprietorship of Shah Jahan, but of the entire the Mughal dynasty.

Two, the sprawling RK Studios located in a prime corner of Mumbai at Chembur would be sold by “Kapoor and Sons” as it was no longer a remunerative proposition. The iconic studio was gutted by fire on the 16th of September last year. Its logo was inspired by the romantic and poignant scene of the celebrated Raj Kapoor clasping on to the ethereal Nargis as she appears to sway the other way.

This partly amorous and intimate scene from the movie, Barsat, directed by Raj Kapoor, with cinematography by Jal Mistry fired the imagination of millions of cinema goers across India, the East European bloc, China and other countries that had adopted the economic model of planned economy. Raj Kapoor and Nargis were to become household names.

It is fascinating to observe that in any enterprise be it politics, the film industry or business organisations, there are always some fabled first families. The legendary Nehru- Gandhi family in politics, the celebrated and vast network of Kapoors of the Hindi film industry and the Tatas in corporate circles, are names that instantly spring to mind, their pioneers the quintessential paradigmatic figures in their time.

After reigning for some decades as suzerains, the law of nature kicks in and these ‘first families’ have to cede space to fresher alternatives. This is the inevitable modus operandi of the universe.

Today there are several alternatives to the Congress Party who ruled the country for a major part once India achieved independence. There are numerous corporate houses challenging brand Tata.

Prithviraj Kapoor (born Prithvinath) established the famous Kapoor clan. But the very same film industry that adored and venerated the Kapoors, now has auxiliaries and fallbacks in regional stars, apart from fresh and talented ‘outsiders’ who have made it big in Bollywood.

It is indeed ironic that RK Studios was catapulted to dizzy heights with its maiden venture Aag in 1948 and its death knell has been sounded by a fire that broke out in the studio last year.

In all 21 movies were made by this inestimable studio. The last one was Aa Ab Laut Chalein, in 1999. During its roller coaster ride talismanic movies like Barsat, Shri 420, Awara, Jagte Raho, Sangam and Mera Naam Joker to name some riveted audiences.

Shri 420 and Ek Din Raatre won critical acclaim as they were feted with National Film awards in Hindi and Bengali respectively. While Boot Polish, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai and Ram Teri Ganga Maili were awarded the Film Fare awards and Prem Rog was nominated for the same.

To this day, Indians, Russians and several others identify their lives with RK’s films and croon these immortal lines from the movie Shri 420;

“Mera joota hai Japani (My shoes are Japanese)

Ye patloon Inglistani (These trousers are English)

Sar pe lal topi Roosi (The red cap on my head is Russian)

Phir bhi dil hai Hindustani (But still, however, my heart is Indian)”

It must be a matter of immense honour and pride for clan of “Kapoor and Sons” (daughters too) that the venerable author Mahashweta Devi while speaking at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2006, paused and quoted those Olympian lyrics, stating that the words trigger a patriotic fervour in her.

Raj Kapoor, the pioneering spirit behind RK Studios was called the Clark Gable of Indian cinema. For his remarkable contribution to Hindi cinema this 11 time

Film Fare award winner was bestowed the prestigious Film Fare Life Time achievement award. On two occasions he was recommended for the priceless Palme d’Or award at the Cannes festival, feted with the Padma Bhushan and decorated with the Dada Saheb Phalke award.

What was the secret behind the startling success of Raj Kapoor’s films? They mirrored the Indian society. Robust scripts by Raj Saheb himself, outstanding lyrics by Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri, scintillating music by Shankar Jaikishen and soulful renditions by euphonious singers like Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh and Mohammed Rafi were some of the other ingredients.

This astonishing team which was woven by Raj Kapoor provided the bulwark as amazingly beautiful and talented artistes like Nargis, Padmini, Vyjantimala, Hema Malini, Simmi Garewal, Zeenat Aman and Mandakini scorched the screens.

Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, an emotional and distraught Rishi Kapoor spoke on behalf of the family and said, “The investment in rebuilding the studio would just not have yielded sufficient revenue to keep it going. Even before the fire, for years RK Studio had become a huge white elephant, toting up losses.”

As the studio forms an integral part of Mumbai and Bollywood, there is a growing clamour that the government convert it into a memorabilia for outstanding contributions to the field of art, music and the cinematic world. Perhaps, it could function as an adjunct to the Film Institute at Pune, as those involved in acting and other disciplines of film making can have hands-on training; an alternative route to keep alive the legacy of RK Studios and a fitting tribute to one of the greatest film makers of Indian cinema.