After the success of Raj Kapoor with the release of his film “Amar Prem” (1948), he was in seventh heaven and his dreams soared high into the sky. He lived, ate and breathed cinema. Kapoor became acutely aware of the need to create his own cinematic environment around him. He wanted to make films at his own pace, without being subject to other studios and financial fluctuations. To do this, he needed infrastructure, his own studio.
He first bought a small office at Famous Studios in 1948 when he released his debut film. In 1950 he founded RK Studios in the Chembur area, and this coincided with the creation of Vagabond . He also created a production team that stayed with him throughout his life. The team included cameraman Radhu Karmarkar, scriptwriters K.A. Abbas and V.P. Sate, writer Shailendra, romantic lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri, composing duo Shankar and Jaikishan, and singer Mukesh, who also became Raj Kapoor’s alter ego.
He called Mukesh his “soul”, and his lyricists, composers and musical group – “heart”. He claimed that without them he was nothing. And, of course, he had Lata Mangeshkar, who became an integral part of his musical group. Her voice and image inspired Raj so much that he wrote the story of a film.
Every film released at RK Studios was one step ahead of the last. And his production house, RK Productions, became a revered name with a muted tone. Becoming a part of Kapoor’s film was everyone’s dream.
His projects were respected by both moviegoers and artists. Raj Kapoor has invested his whole life in his studio. For several decades in a row, excellent films have been filmed here, including “Jis Desh Me Ganga Bahti Hai” (1960), “Mera Naam Joker” (1970) etc.
Unlike other Bollywood studios at the time, RK Films managed to retain all the costumes used in his films. Unfortunately, the children of Raj Kapoor did not preserve the main legacy of their father. On September 16, 2017, during the filming of a reality television show, a massive fire broke out in the studio and the studio burned down.
The Kapoor family decided to sell the iconic film studio built by the legendary Raj Kapoor almost 70 years ago. In a conversation with Mumbai Mirror, the late Rishi Kapoor said that the studio is unprofitable for the family and does not pay for its maintenance, so the family council decided to put the legacy up for sale.
He mentioned that over the years the number of orders has dropped significantly, as producers prefer studios in the center, rather than the suburbs where the studio is located. Chembur was no longer considered a lucrative filming location as it was in the 40s and 50s.
The studio occupied nearly two acres of land. The main building was built in the early 1950s. Behind him was Raj Kapoor’s cottage, where he often organized small personal meetings and events. The 25th anniversary of RK Films was celebrated here.
There was also an impromptu museum (once the Nargis dressing room), which kept the main treasures – costumes and props from the shooting. Movie posters, a big black umbrella from Pyar hua, ikrar hua from Mister 420, Nargis’s long black dress from Vagabond, Vijayantimala’s sari from Sangam, Dimple Kapadia’s fashionable dresses from Bobby, hats that Raj Kapoor has worn in his films … and much, much more. It all burned up in the fire.
