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Story of Bollywood's 1st Ramayana: 92 years before Ranbir, Kapoor family's OG star played Lord Rama, film won at Venice
The first major talkie adaptation of Ramayana was done by Debaki Bose in 1934. The film, Seeta, transformed the careers of Durga Khote and Prithviraj Kapoor.
The promotions for Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana are set to begin in full swing with the unveiling of the ‘Rama glimpse’ tomorrow (April 2). The teaser will give the first look at Ranbir Kapoor as he becomes the latest Indian actor to take on the role of Lord Rama. In the hundred years of Indian cinema, dozens of films have been made on the epic with countless actors portraying Lord Rama. And in a curious twist of fate, the first major adaptation of Ramayana as a talkie also starred a Kapoor. The acclaimed film was a box office and critical success, launching several careers.
Story of Bollywood’s first Ramayana
In 1934, barely three years after talkies (films with sound) began in India, filmmaker Debaki Bose made Seeta, a film on the Uttar Kaand of Ramayana. The film, one of the first talkies in Bengali, saw wide release in Hindi later as well, becoming one of the first major films to cross language barriers. Seeta premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 1934, becoming the first Indian talkie to do so. It won a diploma award for its director at the prestigious film festival.
The film starred a young Durga Khote in the lead role in her first appearance outside Marathi cinema. Durga would go on to establish herself as a leading character artist in Bollywood, appearing in films like Mughal-e-Azam, Bobby, Karz, and Abhimaan.
The Kapoor who played Lord Rama
Seeta starred a 28-year-old Prithviraj Kapoor as Lord Rama. The actor had already found success with Alam Ara, and this further solidified his position as one of the top film stars of the era. Prithviraj’s younger brother, Trilok Kapoor, played Luv in one of his first film roles.
The two actors were the first from the Kapoor family to enter films. Prithviraj’s sons Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, and Shashi Kapoor would go on to be superstars in their own right. Ranbir, the newest Lord Rama, is Raj Kapoor’s grandson. Prithviraj was himself a noted film and theatre artist, known for establishing the Prithvi Theatre and appearing in iconic films like Sikandar, Mughal-e-Azam, and Awara. In Mughal-e-Azam, he and Durga Khote reunited after 26 years to play husband and wife yet again.
About Ramayana
The new Ramayana film is directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra. Apart from Ranbir as Lord Rama, it also stars Yash as Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ravie Dubey as Lakshmana, and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanumana. The first part releases in theatres this Diwali, with part two set to release next year.
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