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 Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

actor

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of ...

. 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. Films was formed in 1948 by

in Chembur.''Bollywood: A History'' by Mihir Bose, Tempus, 2006, 0752428357 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 ''Awaara'', also written ''Awāra'', ur, , Āvārā, group=n, name=HindiUrdu and known overseas as ''The Vagabond'', is a 1951 Indian Hindi crime drama film, produced and directed by Raj Kapoor, and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. It stars Ra ...

'' (1951), ''

Boot Polish A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...

'', ''

Jagte Raho ''Jagte Raho'' () is a 1956 Bollywood/ Bengali film, directed by Amit Maitra and Sombhu Mitra, written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, and produced by and starring Raj Kapoor. The film centers on the trials of a poor villager (Kapoor) who comes to a ...

'' and ''

Shree 420 ''Shree 420'' (also spelled as ''Shri 420''; ) is a 1955 Indian Hindi comedy-drama film directed and produced by Raj Kapoor from a story written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas whose use of Shree with the negative connotations of 420 caused controversy. ...

''. ''Awaara'' was particularly successful, not just in India, but all over the world. Many R. K. Films movies featured Kapoor opposite actress

Nargis Nargis Dutt (born Fatima Rashid; 1 June 1929 – 3 May 1981) was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, she made her screen debut in a minor role ...

. Kapoor appeared in 15 R. K. films with

and travelled around the world with her to promote the studio's films. The music team of

Shankar Jaikishan Shankar may refer to: People *Shankar (name), including a list of people with the name * Sankar (writer) (Mani Shankar Mukherjee), Bengali writer * L. Shankar, Indian violinist * S. Shankar, Indian film director commonly credited as Shankar *Sanka ...

also worked frequently on R. K. Films productions during this period. Starting with ''Awaara'' (1951),

Radhu Karmakar Radhu Karmakar ( bn, রাধু কর্মকার; 1919 - 5 October 1993) was a noted Indian cinematographer and director in Hindi cinema from the 1940s to 1990s. He worked extensively with director-actor Raj Kapoor's film and his R. K. St ...

shot all of Kapoor's subsequent films for four decades, till his last, ''Ram Teri Ganga Maili'' (1985). R. K. Films produced many films in the next few decades, including ''

Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai ''Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai'' () is a 1960 List of Bollywood films of 1960 Indian film directed by Radhu Karmakar and produced by Raj Kapoor. The film stars Padmini, Raj Kapoor and Pran in lead roles. This was the first directorial ventur ...

'' (1960), ''

Mera Naam Joker ''Mera Naam Joker'' () is a 1970 Indian Hindi romance drama film, directed, edited and produced by Raj Kapoor under his banner R. K. Films, and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. The film stars Raj Kapoor as the eponymous character, with his son ...

'' (1970), ''

Bobby Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People * Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter * Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...

'' (1973), ''

Satyam Shivam Sundaram ''Satyam Shivam Sundaram'' () is a 1978 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film produced and directed by Raj Kapoor and written by Jainendra Jain, starring Shashi Kapoor and Zeenat Aman. The film's original soundtrack was composed by Laxmikan ...

'' (1978), ''

Prem Rog ''Prem Rog'' () is a 1982 Hindi-language musical romantic drama directed by Raj Kapoor, with screenplay written by Jainendra Jain and Kamna Chandra. The film tells the story of a man's (Rishi Kapoor) love towards a woman, who is a higher statu ...

'' (1982) and ''

Ram Teri Ganga Maili ''Ram Teri Ganga Maili'' () is a 1985 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Raj Kapoor. The film stars Mandakini and Rajiv Kapoor in lead roles. Music director Ravindra Jain received a Filmfare Award for this film. The film ge ...

'' (1985), Kapoor's last film. In the 1970s, Kapoor's eldest son

Randhir Kapoor Randhir Raj Kapoor (born 15 February 1947) is an Indian actor, film producer and director who worked in Hindi cinema. He was an established actor of the 1970s and received two Filmfare Award nominations. However, his career declined in the ea ...

joined his father at the studio, and made his acting and directorial debut with ''

Kal Aaj Aur Kal ''Kal Aaj Aur Kal'' () is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language film produced by Raj Kapoor and directed by his son Randhir Kapoor. The film's USP is the appearance of three generations of the famous Kapoor family. The film stars Prithviraj Kapoor, ...

'' in 1971, which also starred his future wife

Babita Babita Shivdasani-Kapoor (born 20 April 1947), also known simply as Babita or Babita Kapoor, is a former Indian actress who appeared in Hindi-language films. The daughter of actor Hari Shivdasani, she is the first cousin of her contemporary ac ...

, father Raj and grandfather

Prithviraj Kapoor Prithviraj Kapoor (born Prithvinath Kapoor; 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was an Indian actor who is also considered to be one of the founding figures of Hindi cinema. He was associated with IPTA as one of its founding members and establis ...

. He went on to direct two more films with the company ''

Dharam Karam ''Dharam Karam'' is a 1975 Hindi drama film produced by Raj Kapoor and directed by Randhir Kapoor, who also stars as father and son in the film, respectively. The film also stars Rekha, Premnath and Dara Singh. The music is by R.D. Burman a ...

'' (1975) and an incomplete film left by Raj, which he completed after his father's death in 1988 and ''

Henna Henna is a dye prepared from the plant '' Lawsonia inermis'', also known as the henna tree, the mignonette tree, and the Egyptian privet, the sole species of the genus ''Lawsonia''. ''Henna'' can also refer to the temporary body art resulting ...

'' (1991). Raj's brother

Shashi Kapoor Shashi Kapoor (pronounced �əʃi kəpuːɾ (born Balbir Raj Kapoor; 18 March 1938 – 4 December 2017) was an Indian actor and film producer who is best known for his work in Hindi films. A recipient of several accolades, including four Natio ...

also appeared in several R. K. films. When Raj died in 1988, Randhir took over the studio. His younger brother

Rajiv Kapoor Rajiv Raj Kapoor (25 August 1962 9 February 2021) was an Indian actor, film producer, film director and a member of the Kapoor family, best known for his lead role in '' Ram Teri Ganga Maili''. He was the youngest son of Raj Kapoor, the legen ...

directed ''

Prem Granth Prem Granth ( Scripture of love) is an Indian Hindi-language film which was released in India on 22 May 1996. Directed by Rajiv Kapoor, the movie stars Rishi Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit and deals with the subject of rape. It serves as an adaptation ...

'' in 1996 and

Rishi Kapoor Rishi Raj Kapoor (4 September 1952 — 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director and producer who worked in Hindi films. He was the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards and a National Film Award. Born into t ...

directed ''

Aa Ab Laut Chalen ''Aa Ab Laut Chalen'' (translation: ''Come, Let's Go Back'') is a 1999 Indian Hindi language romantic drama directed by Rishi Kapoor, making his directorial debut and also remains the only film he had directed in his career. The film's script ...

'' (1999). Hereafter, the Kapoors have produced no more films under the R. K. Films banner. Unlike other Bollywood studios of the time period, R.K. Films was able to preserve all the costumes used in its films. 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 The Kapoor family
The New York Times. 30 April 2020. is a prominent Indian show business fa ...

has decided to sell the iconic R. K. Films and Studios, which was built by legendary actor

nearly 70 years ago, due to growing losses. Located in

Chembur Chembur (pronunciation: ͡ʃembuːɾ is an upmarket large suburb in central Mumbai, India. History Before reclamation, Chembur lay on the north-western corner of Trombay Island. It is suggested that Chembur is the same place referred to as S ...

, the studio was in the news September 2017, after a major fire broke out, leaving the place gutted. Speaking to

Mumbai Mirror The ''Mumbai Mirror'' is an Indian English-language newspaper published in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Launched in 2005 as a compact daily newspaper, its coverage focuses on city specific local news and civic issues concerning education, healthcare a ...

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 Goregaon (Help:IPA/Marathi, �oːɾeɡaːʋ is a suburb of Mumbai city, in the Mumbai Suburban district of India. It has a Goregaon railway station, railway station on the Mumbai suburban railway on the Western Line (Mumbai Suburban Railwa ...

and

Andheri Andheri ( �n̪d̪ʱeɾiː is a locality in the western part of the city of Mumbai in India. Udayanagari, the name of a hill near the Mahakali caves, inspired the name Andheri. On the former islet of Versova, also known as Vasave, there was an ...

. Being part of the Eastern suburbs,

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.

Logo

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. The logo was later simplified. Bollywood actor

Manoj Kumar Harikrishan Goswami (born 24 July 1937), better known by his screen name Manoj Kumar, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for acting and making films with patriotic themes ...

has claimed that the logo was designed by

Balasaheb Thackeray Bal Thackeray (; 23 January 1926 – 17 November 2012), also known as Balasaheb Thackeray, was an Indian politician who founded the Shiv Sena, a right-wing pro-Marathi and Hindu nationalist party active mainly in the state of Maharashtra ...

. It may possibly have been the inspiration of ''

The Kreutzer Sonata ''The Kreutzer Sonata'' (russian: Крейцерова соната, ) is a novella by Leo Tolstoy, named after Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata. The novella was published in 1889, and was promptly censored by the Russian authorities. The work is an ...

''.

R. K. Studio

The studio occupied nearly two acres of land in the

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

-suburb of

. The studio's main building was constructed in the early 1950s.

'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. There was a makeshift museum (once

's dressing & make-up room) was a treasure trove which was lost in the fire. 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 ''

'' (1955),

's long black dress from ''

'',

Vyjanthimala Vyjayanthimala (born 13 August 1936) is a former Indian actress, dancer and parliamentarian. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two BFJA Awards and five Filmfare Awards. She made her screen debut at the age of thirteen wit ...

's sari(s) from '' Sangam'',

Dimple Kapadia Dimple Kapadia (born 8 June 1957) is an Indian actress predominantly appearing in Hindi films. Born and raised in Mumbai by wealthy parents, she aspired to become an actress from a young age and received her first opportunity through her father ...

's funky frocks from ''

'', Padmini's sari(s) from ''

Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai ''Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai'' () is a 1960 List of Bollywood films of 1960 Indian film directed by Radhu Karmakar and produced by Raj Kapoor. The film stars Padmini, Raj Kapoor and Pran in lead roles. This was the first directorial ventur ...

'', the

daf Daf ( fa, دف) also known as Dâyere and Riq is a Middle Eastern (mainly Iranian) frame drum musical instrument, used in popular and classical music in South and Central Asia. It is also used in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Iran ...

ali used in ''Mera Naam Raju'' (Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai) and even some of the hats

wore in his films. These were lost in the fire.

regarded that as the greatest loss due to the fire. The sets constructed at the studio included: * Set for "''Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi''" dream sequence in Kapoor's ''Awaara'' with the

Elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

-inspired image * Set for "''Pyar Hua Ikrar Hua''" * Haveli Set for song "''Yeh Galiyan Yeh Chaubara Yahan Aana Na Dobara''", ''Prem Rog'', 1982 * Banares set for ''

'', 1985

Festivals at R. K. Studio

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

Filmography

Awards

, - ,

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yiji ...

, ''

'' ,

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several ...

, , - ,

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

, ''Ek Din Ratre'' ,

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of severa ...

, , - , 1955 , ''

'' , rowspan="4", Filmfare Award for Best Film , , - , 1962 , ''

'' , , - , 1986 , ''

'' , , - , 1983 , ''

'' ,

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.

Bibliography

* *

References

External links

R. K. Films
at

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{{Authority control Film studios in Mumbai Film production companies of India Entertainment companies established in 1948 Raj Kapoor Filmfare Awards winners Indian companies established in 1948