November 07, 2024

Devika Rani Biography, Age, Death, Height, Weight, Family, Caste, Wiki & More

Updated On : June 1, 2017

Short Biography

Devika Rani was born on 30-03-1908 in Visakhapatnam in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. She was an Indian Film Actress, Textile Designer & Singer who known for her work in Hindi Cinema.

Other Name: Devika Rani Chaudhuri, Devika Rani Roerich, First Lady of Indian Cinema
Other Professions: Textile Designer Singer
Appearance: Bollywood

Devika Rani Complete Bio & Career

Devika Rani after completion of her schooling went to London and enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Royal Academy of Music. Along with drama, she studied subjects like décor design, textile, and architecture at the RADA.
 
Noted scriptwriter Niranjan Pal introduced her to the movies. He wrote scripts for many of Devika Rani’s hit films. She started her professional career as a textile engineer and then by assisting in art direction and costume design for Himanshu rai’s film A Throw of Dice in 1929. She along with Himanshu Rai raced to Germany for the post-production work. She observed the filming method of German film industry and inspired by them she joined Universum Film AG studio in Berlin to pursue a filmmaking course.
 
She made her acting debut with the film Karma in 1933. It was one of the initial Hindi films that had a kissing scene. Besides acting, she also made her singing debut by singing a song in the film. The song was a bi-lingual one and was sung in Hindi and English. This song was the first English-language song from a Bollywood film. Since the movie was made in Hindi and English, it was premiered in London. The film was well received throughout Europe.
 
She was cast opposite Ashok Kumar in the blockbuster film Achut Kanya in 1936. This two then paired in series of hit films and their pair was one of the most successful pairs of Bollywood yesterdays.
 
She is still remembered as the first lady of the Indian cinema. For her contribution, she was conferred with Padma Shri Award and she was the first actor from Bollywood to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Honours & Awards

AWARD NAME AWARD CATEGORY RECEIPT YEAR RECEIPT FIELD
Padma Shri Civilian Award 1958 Arts
Dadasaheb Phalke Award Indian Cinema Award 1969 Hindi Film Industry

Health Issues, Illness and Death Info

Devika Rani died on 09-03-1994 in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. She died due to the disease of bronchitis at age of 85.

DEATHDAY 9 March,1994 (Wednesday)
DEATH PLACE Bengaluru, Karnataka
DEATH COUNTRY India

Devika Rani Family, Relatives and Other Relations

She married Himanshu Rai in 1929 and together they established the Bombay Talkies which was a launched future superstar like Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Mumtaz, and Madhubala. Himanshu Rai died in 1940.
 
After Bombay Talkies started losing its charm, she married Svetoslav Roerich, a Russian Painter in 1945.

Life's Important Dates Of Devika Rani

Devika Rani Age, Birthday Facts and Birthday Countdown

Devika Rani was 85 years 11 months & 10 days old age.