Actor who pushed boundaries

Devika Rani Chaudhuri was a woman to reckon with. The 'First Lady' of Indian cinema and recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Padma Shri, Devika was a trained actress, who led life on her own terms. Daughter of an affluent Bengali family, she was the great-grandniece of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. She studied at a boarding school in England, and in the late 1920s, dabbled in various interests — acting, architecture, decor, music and textile designing.

Meeting actor and film director Himanshu Rai piqued her interest in filmmaking, prodding her to study the course in Europe. Soon after, they got married, and in 1933, Devika debuted opposite Rai in the film, 'Karma'. The film boasted of many firsts — it was made both in Hindi and English; it was regarded as the first English language talkie by an Indian studio; it had a kissing scene between the reel-real couple that lasted for about four minutes! Devika also sang a bilingual number in the film, which is considered as Hindi cinema’s first English song.

Not the one to care about convention, Devika was known for her risqué lifestyle. Her love affair with Najm-ul-Hassan put her marriage, and the studio she established with Rai — Bombay Talkies — in jeopardy. She returned to both, but on her own terms. She was to be the face of films that touched social themes, and made successful golden on-screen pair with Ashok Kumar, giving hits like 'Achhut Kanya' (1936), 'Jeevan Naiya' (1936), 'Izzat' (1937), and 'Nirmala' (1938).

After Rai’s death, Devika took over the reins of Bombay Talkies, and is remembered for, among other things, having discovered actor Dilip Kumar, and breaking societal taboos. A pioneer and a legend, she was nicknamed the 'Dragon Lady'.

The highest-paid leading lady of Hindi cinema, Devika quit the industry in her 30s to start a new chapter in her life. She married a Russian painter, Svetoslav Roerich, and chose to lead a quieter life. She died of bronchitis on March 9, 1994, in Bangalore.