These are the dazzling faces,
that lit up the silver screen..
..of Indian cinema
with their luminance.
Indian Cinema is completing 100 years.
The silver screen has seen
thousands of stars in 100 years.
But only a handful became superstars.
On the occasion of 100
years of Indian Cinema..
..Lehren salutes to
some such real superstars.
Year... 1931!
Venue, Prabhat Film Company, Pune.
Where a widow came looking for work..
..who had the responsibility
of two small kids.
You think you are nothing.
Your fate is everything?
Your fate is a river..
..and you're just a straw
flowing along with the tide?
Your fate is a storm..
..and you're a helpless
leaf being blown away?
Your fate is a potter..
..and you're just a handful
of clay in his hands.
This young girl, who had worked in..
..many small films
during the silent era..
..bagged a big role in..
..Prabhat Film Company's
first talkie film.
And with 'Ayodhya
Ka Raja' Mrs. Khote..
..began a new chapter
in Indian cinema..
..who we also know as Durga Khote.
Year... 1935.
Venue, Wadia Movie
Tone company Mumbai..
..who completely changed the..
..face of heroines in Indian Cinema.
And the silver screen was graced by..
..stunt queen fearless
Nadia as Hunterwali.
As Hunterwali, fearless Nadia..
..ruled the hearts of
people in the true manner.
Year... 1935.
Venue, New Theatre's
Pictures Calcutta.
The place where Devdas,
Paro and Chandramukhi's..
..eternal love story was being filmed.
Chunilal. Why did you bring
me to such a disgusting place?
Bloody harlot.
In the screen adoption of..
..Sharad Chandra Chatterjee's
classic novel Devdas..
..we could see that era's
first superstar, Kundanlal Saigal.
Who we popularly known as K.L. Saigal.
Year... 1936.
Venue, Bombay Talkies Film Studio.
The place where 'Achhut
Kanya' was being filmed.
This is where another superstar..
..of Indian Cinema was born.
Devika Rani.
Pratap.
Where are you going?
To get food-grains from
the neighboring village.
Come along. - Okay.
Popularly known as the Dragon Lady..
Devika Rani..
..was the most beautiful
and glamorous..
..heroine of the 30's era.
Films would be a hit
because of her beauty.
In fact, Devika Rani was an example..
..of the changing Indian Cinema..
..who dared to kiss on-screen..
..even in the 1930's era.
Year... 1936.
Venue, Bombay Talkies Film Studio.
A place where a new
superstar was emerging.
Ashok Kumar.
All I know... is that I love you..
Kasturi...listen to me. 
Let's run away.
Instead of completing
his law education..
..Ashok Kumar, who was working..
..as a lab assistant
in Bombay Talkies..
..was forced to play the
lead in the film 'Jeevan Naiyya'.
And this is where
Ashok Kumar's journey..
..of success began
in the film industry.
Year... 1936.
A Tamil film called 'Sati
Leelavati' was released.
And for the first time
young theatre actor..
..Marudhar Gopalan Ramchadran
was seen on the silver screen.
After that, with the success
of 'Manithari Kumari' in 1947..
..and 'Malaikalanjas' in 1954..
..Tamil Cinema found
its first superstar.
MGR!
MGR... this one name
became the identity..
..of the entire
Southern film industry.
MGR had a strong off-screen
and onscreen image..
..that one day this actor
also became a politician.
And like his career in films..
..he scaled new heights
in his political career as well.
Year... 1939.
Venue, Minerva Movie Tone.
Lord...I feel proud after winning today.
So I bow before you again..
..and ask for a boon,
that I never bow again.
And I never face you
with a shameless face.
Glory to You!
Shorab Modi was a first stage artist..
..who was also a
producer and director..
..along with being an actor.
Shorab Modi was a staunch artist..
..who mostly made historical movies..
..and through his films..
..he preached the message
of national Integration.
Year... 1941.
Venue, Minerva Movie Tone.
The place where Indian Cinema's..
..grand historical
film was in making..
'Sikander'.
It was being produced by Shorab Modi..
..but the actor that was emerging..
..was Prithviraj Kapoor..
as Alexander the Great.
During that era, he was the
only fine and versatile actor..
..who worked on stage
as well as movies.
Actually, Prithviraj Kapoor began..
..his career from the silent era.
But only after 'Sikander',
he was able..
..to establish the Kapoor
family legacy in the film industry.
As his grandson,
all I would like to say..
..that everyone knows what
Prithviraj Kapoor has done.
And... Kapoors... all of us.
We're here because
of Prithviraj Kapoor.
The passion of entertainment
that he started..
..I'm proud to say that we've
kept that alive for four generations.
Year... 1944.
Venue, Pune's Aundh Military Canteen.
Where a handsome Pathani
boy was spotted by..
..Devika Rani and
her husband Himanshu Roy.
I didn't go to Bombay
Talkies to seek a job as such.
Of course I had a natural
deportment of the family.
So I could speak properly,
good English and good Urdu.
And... the kind lady, Mrs. Devika Rani...
Rai at that time, she thought that..
And the other members
that were sitting there.
Thought that I could be
a good...material for trying out.
So if Dilip Kumar
can become an actor..
..I think anybody can become an actor.
Dilip Kumar.
The name itself signifies
the entire Indian cinema.
Some call him the
institute of acting..
..while others call
him a living legend.
Some call him the
ultimate method actor..
..and some call him tragedy king.
But we would say that Dilip Kumar..
..is a personality in Indian Cinema..
..that's born only once in 1000 years.
Year... 1947.
Venue, Bombay Talkies Studios.
Where the greatest showman
of Indian Cinema, Raj Kapoor..
..began his journey from
a clapper boy to a hero.
The people here think I
am Raj Kapoor and are after me.
Well...you are Raj Kapoor.
What?
You act in real life as well.
This is strange.
You're Raj Kapoor, aren't you? - No.
People believe me when I lie.
But no one believes
me when I say the truth.
Well anyway,
at least we got a chance to meet you.
As Prithviraj Kapoor's son,
Raj Kapoor did get work..
..but he was in search
of his own identity.
And to find that, Raj had
to go behind the cameras instead.
As a director.
We do get emotional after
watching Raj Kapoor's films.
I genuinely feel he's our guru.
And we've all learnt a lot from him.
And whatever we are
today is because of him.
And he was a great father,
a great film-maker.
We're grateful that we
were born as his children.
At the age of 24,
Raj Kapoor founded the RK banner..
..and after delivering one
successful film after another..
..he became the greatest
showman of Indian Cinema.
Year... 1947.
Venue, Prabhat Film Company, Pune.
Where a young man was made the hero..
..because of his beautiful smile.
And believe me, this smile
and the handsome young man..
..stayed evergreen
on the silver screen.
Someone told me that in some office..
..there's a man, he's a producer.
He wants a young boy,
for the film he's making.
I got this is my head and..
It was raining..
it was the month of July.
I left by train and
I got off at Charni Road.
And I got off at Charni
Road and saw the office board..
..and I went..
a security man was standing there.
I went and sat with
him and asked him..
..where is the boss.
What movie is he going to make?
What work do you have?
I want to meet him.
You can't meet him. Why can't I meet?
Doesn't he meet people?
Why won't he meet me?
At that time he came..
Baburao Pai was the producer.
Very big man.
He had made many films in those days.
And it so happened..
at that very moment..
..Pai just dropped in.
And he went in and
he stopped for a while.
And he looked back
at me and I smiled..
..and he smiled back.
And then he went in and
he called the security man..
"Who is this boy sitting here?"
He said, he has come to meet you.
He said, go and bring him inside.
I went inside.
He said, what is the matter?
I said, nothing, I heard
you want to give a new boy a break.
You want to make him a hero.
I am a 21-year old young guy.
I think I deserve it.
He laughed. I laughed too.
He was going on laughing..
laughing.. going on laughing.
He said,
can you come day after tomorrow.
I said, I will come. He gave me a
ticket of first class in Deccan Queen.
I went to Pune..
gave the audition and that's it.
Dev sir remained the most handsome..
..and romantic hero of Indian cinema.
Dev sir's magic worked
for four generations.
Dev Anand was the only actor..
..who had the longest
and most successful career.
Year... 1947.
Venue, Prabhat Film Company, Pune.
Where two struggling
friends promised each other.
Whoever succeeds first,
will give the other a chance.
And this promise was fulfilled..
..when Dev Anand asked
Guru Dutt to direct..
..the first film 'Baazi'
of his film company Navketan.
Yes, this is where
Guru Dutt's career began.
This is where Indian
Cinema's genius film maker..
..began his film career.
And in a short time,
through his classic films..
..Guru Dutt became a name
synonymous with Indian films..
..who also received
acclaim internationally.
Year... 1946.
A film being produced
under the Memboob Productions..
..'Anmol Ghadi'..
where the eternal beauty..
..of Indian Cinema was seen...
Suriaya.
Go..
Go away if you want to.
Leave as soon as you can.
I didn't know... that a criminal
who scaled prison walls..
..and faced bullets
can be such a coward.
She was beautiful...but
she was melodious as well.
Suraiya was a big star of her era..
..who would also sing
along with acting in films.
In that era,
people would come in crowds..
..to see a Suraiya film.
Suraiya didn't just
earn fame as an actor..
..but she also scaled
new heights as a singer.
Year... 1948.
Wadia Film's released 'Mela'.
And famous Thumri Singer
Jatan Bai's daughter..
..Nargis was discovered.
Take a good look
at this beautiful bride.
Like doe in the jungle,
the cuckoo in the garden..
..and like the swan
that swims in the lake.
Her groom...will be
a handsome swan himself.
Like the moon in the sky.
A poet that weaves a
dream world...or some painter.
Nargis had entered
films in her childhood..
..and started her filmy
career at a young age.
But Nargis' career took
off in Raj Kapoor's arms.
After she was cast
as the heroine of RK..
..she displayed her
talents in such a manner..
..which is still unmatched.
Along with Raj Kapoor,
Nargis established the RK banner.
But her best was yet to come.
And it was seen in Mehboob Khan's..
..classic cult movie 'Mother India'.
Year... 1949.
Bombay Talkies released its first
horror suspense thriller, 'Mahal'.
And through this film,
Indian Cinema found..
..it's most beautiful
heroine... Madhubala.
Father has made a big mistake..
..by making you the
trustee of his wealth.
I cannot entrust my fate to you.
I will not marry this donkey.
A plethora of beauty.
The Venus of Indian Cinema.
Indian Cinema's Marilyn Monroe.
These were the titles
entrusted on Madhubala.
Madhubala soon became
another example of beauty.
Madhubala enchanted people..
..with her beauty to such an extent..
..that people would risk
their lives to watch her films.
In that era, Madhubala
made everyone crazy about her.
She was a superstar in every aspect.
Year... 1952.
Director Vijay Bhatt released his..
..musical super-hit
films... 'Baiju Bawra'.
Through this film,
Indian cinema found..
..a young,
bubbly actress... Meena Kumari.
The strings of the instrument
strike a chord in the heart.
And with force,
you can't defeat Baiju..
..or win over Gauri.
For this film, Meena Kumari
accepted her first Filmfare award..
..for her outstanding performance.
Meena Kumari had the
beauty of Madhubala..
..and the grace of Nargis.
But more over, she had the intensity..
..which you see in a real artist.
Meena Kumari was the
only artist in Indian Cinema..
..who never required fake tears..
..for delivering an emotional scene.
Maybe this is why she became..
..the Tragedy Queen of Indian Cinema.
Year... 1950.
Venue, Calcutta.
The country had attained freedom.
And India was still enduring
the pain of partition.
During this time,
Bengali films were gradually emerging.
During this era,
genius directors like Satyajeet Ray..
..was presenting
his wonderful creations.
And the pair of Uttam
Kumar and Suchitra Sen..
..was winning the hearts
of the common Bengali people.
Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen..
..had made a big contribution
to Bengali films.
From the 50's... for three decades..
..this pair ruled the Bengali cinema.
It won't be wrong
to say that Uttam Kumar..
..and Suchitra Sen was one
of the best pair in Indian Cinema.
Year... 1952.
Saw the released of super-hit
Tamil film... 'Parashakti'.
And we saw a young,
and slender looking theatre artist..
..who used to dub for the
heroes in the 40's and 50's era.
But with his first film
'Parashakti' this artist proved..
..that as an actor he's
a force to reckon with.
'Parashakti' made
him an overnight star.
And the superstar
who ruled the industry..
..for 5 decades was born.
Shivaji Ganesha became
the icon of Tamil Film industry.
Whether it's mythological cinema,
commercial cinema..
..or experimental cinema.
Shivaji Ganeshan delivered
back to back hits in all three genres.
Tamil, Telegu, Kannada, Malayalam..
..and even in Hindi films,
Ganeshan ruled the industry.
Shivaji Ganeshan is truly
a legend actor of Indian Cinema.
Year... 1954.
Superhit Kannada film
'Bedara Kannappa' released.
And through it..
young theatre artist..
..Muthoo Raja entered
the film industry who..
..became 'Rajkumar'
with his first film.
We're talking about the superstar
Rajkumar of Kannada films..
..who made a big contribution
to Indian cinema..
..with his long and successful career.
Rajkumar gave new meaning
to Kannada films altogether.
The wonderful journey of superstars..
..of Indian cinema isn't over yet.
This journey will continue.
Hi, this is Vidya Balan..
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