Godrej receives keys from RK Studios



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MUMBAI: The era of lights, camera and action ends in the mythical RK studios of Mumbai following its sale Friday to Godrej Properties Ltd. (GPL), which is considering to convert the 71-year-old property into a residential and commercial development

Launched in 1948, the studio served as headquarters for the legendary film production company Raj Kapoor, the movie's legend, RK Films, and many blockbuster films were shot on his premises, particularly in the 1970s and 80s. [19659002] After unsuccessful attempts to renovate it following a devastating fire in 2017, the Kapoor family put it on the market .

RK Films already existed before Raj Kapoor decided to extend it to a studio in 1950, apparently using the income from his 1949 hit Barsaat. The 2.2-acre premises were built in Chembur. "In the 1950s Bombay, it was a secluded rural location, far from its center south of Mumbai," writes Mihir Bose in Bollywood: A History.

He arrived just in time, while RK Films was entering his golden period with Awaara. in 1951, Boot Polish in 1954, Shree 420 in 1955 and Jaagte Raho in 1956. Unlike rival productions of Navketan in the 1950s, which often turned in the street to turn (out of necessity), RK Studios allowed the Kapoors to produce their films The elaborate dream sequence of Awaara was filmed there – after dark, legend has it that Chembur only had electricity at night at that time, as did Pyaar Hua Ikraar Hua, one of the most famous Hindi film song sequences.

"RK Studios was a sacred place, a monument that represents the heart and soul of Raj Kapoor, the realm of a great showman where iconic films were shot, legendary celebrations, a testament to the great vision and love of man or cinema, "said Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, documentary filmmaker, archivist and founder of the Film Heritage Foundation, in Mint." Inspired by Hollywood's big studios, the emblem – even embodied romance and glamor in the manner of the creator himself.As a young filmmaker, it was a pleasure to stand in front of the doors and take a picture. "

The studio continued to appear on the screen in the 1970s and 1980s, even though viewers were not always aware of what they saw. In an interview with NDTV, Rishi Kapoor revealed that while the exterior scenes of Bobby's sequence of Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Band Ho were filmed in Kashmir, the interiors were in Chembur's studio.

The RK Studios have served as venues for the turbulent Kapoors and for many of their family weddings. It was also, as Rishi Kapoor said in his memoirs, the largest film school that one could ask for. "For me, no film institute could be better than RK Studios," he recalled. "As the film sets were not out of reach for us, we grew up comfortable in that mood. The studio looked like a temple for us, even though we were not allowed to visit the plateaus when a shoot was in progress. "

A fire burned in the studio in 2017, destroying the historic scene 1 and destroying memories." A glimpse of the shoes of the song Mera Joota Hai Japaani and the puppets of Mera Naam Joker could well appear in the documentary. Dungarpur, The Immortals, published in 2015. "There is nothing left of these traces after the fire." "During my last visit to the RK studio, I went through the silent studio, the theater, and the theater. waiting where dominated the great portraits of Raj Kapoor and Prithviraj Kapoor, the empty corridors that had once overflowed with activity, the studio No. 1, where the sequence of dreams Awaara was affected, now ravaged by fire, the staircase that leads to the makeup rooms, a large mirror and the statue of Prithviraj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor's house … I walked around and wondered why the studio could not be saved. I saw Sangam's boat loaded in a camio n and, with some other remnants of the studio's legacy, crossed the gates for the last time, and we will keep it now in memory of the great studio RK. "

The sale to Godrej is a second and permanent physical death for the studio, which happily survives in the films shot there and in the memories shared by the visitors and the first family of Hindi cinema.

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