It was in 1948 when Raj Kapoor founded RK Studios which became the headquarters of the film production company RK Films.
Mumbai's iconic RK Studios, owned by the Kapoor family, is up for sale. The decision to sell the 70-year-old, four-acre property was taken by Bollywood's first family after a fire last year left its repairs economically unviable.
The family initially planned to renovate the studio with state-of-the-art technology but later decided against it due to the costs involved.
A major fire on the sets of a dance reality show gutted down a section of the studio in September 2017 leaving movie buffs and historians worried over the impact on Raj Kapoor's collection of memorabilia including costumes of his films.
The Stage 1 of RK Studios holds immense historic value. It is one of the largest shooting floors in Asia, at 120 ft x 80 ft. It housed the revolving stage where Rishi Kapoor danced on the song “Om Shanti Om” from the film, Karz. It was separated from Stage 2 by a collapsible wall, which could be removed to make an even bigger set.
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It was in 1948 when Raj Kapoor founded RK Studios which became the headquarters of the film production company RK Films.
Named after the Great Showman, Raj Kapoor, the studio has been home to a string of successful films including 'Awaara' (1951), 'Boot Polish' (1954), 'Shri 420' (1955), 'Jaagte Raho' (1956).
While the inaugural banner film 'Aag' bombed at the box office, 'Barsaat' (1949) produced a year later and starring Raj Kapoor-Nargis, was a super hit. In fact, the company's logo was designed to reflect the poster of a scene from 'Barsaat' and after that, the studio never looked back.
The studio was the venue for several other big-ticket films like 'Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hain' (1960), 'Mera Naam Joker' (1970), 'Bobby' (1973), the debut film for Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia, 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram' (1978), 'Prem Rog' (1982), 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili' (1985), which was the Founder-actor's last film before his death in June 1988.
It might be just true what Rishi Kapoor said after the family decided to sell RK Studios, “It isn’t always possible for a phoenix to rise from the ashes.”