#durga khote

Durga Khote: The lady who was born regal – Times of India

Durga Khote who played Jodhabhai to Dilip Kumar in 1960, also played Jeetendra’s mother in her most memorable role in Bidaai fourteen years later.Apparently producer-director LV Prasad made it very clear that Bidaai would be made only if Durga Khote agreed to do the film. Although Leena Chandavarkar was the official leading lady of Bidaai it was Durga Khote who walked away with all the…

Remembering Durga Khote on her 27th death anniversary.

Durga Khote (14 January 1905 − 22 September 1991) was an actress, starting as one of the foremost leading ladies of her times, she remained active in Hindi and Marathi cinema, as well as theatre, for over 50 years, starring in around 200 films and numerous theatre productions.

In 2000, in a millennium issue, India Today named her among "100 People Who Shaped India", noting, "Durga Khote marks the pioneering phase for woman in Indian Cinema" as she was one of the first women from respectable families to enter the film industry, thus breaking a social taboo.

A Year in Hindi Movies 1932

A total of 60 Hindi talkies were made in 1932. Apart from Calcutta and Bombay, there were movies from Kolhapur, Poona, Lahore and Hyderabad this year. Many famous movies were released. Most famous of these was perhaps the first talkie from Prabhat Film Company, Kolhapur, "Ayodhya Ka Raja" starring Durga Khote and Govind Rao Tembe who also provided the musical score. The Marathi version was the first Marathi talkie. It was directed by V. Shantaram. Another film, "Zarina", directed by Ezra Mir, starring Jal Merchant and Zubeida (the heroine of the first talkie) has the most screen kisses before kissing was "voluntarily" renounced by the movie producers in the mid-thirties on the ground that "Indians do not kiss in public".

As everybody knows kissing was restored in Hindi movies by Raj Kapoor in "Satyam Shivam Sundaram" released on March 22, 1978. [Check!] The fabulous K. L. Saigal was introduced in "Mohabbat Ke Ansu" and acted in two more movies, "Subah Ka Tara" and "Zinda Laash". All three had music by R. C. Boral and were produced by New Theaters, Calcutta. And then there was "Indrasabha" which has the distinction of having the largest number of songs, 71. The songs were set to tunes by Wazir Khan and Nagar Das Nayak recorded them for the movie apparently using only harmonium for the purpose. Typical songs: Challa hamara yaad rakhna, Kati raat maze mein saari, Kab se khadi hun tere dwara, Chaman ko yun mere saqi ne maikhana bana dala, Dil de diya hai unko dekhen wo kya karenge, Maharaj se neha lagaibe, hamaar koi ka karibe. Some other movies and their distinctions:

Bilwamangal - The first colored Indian film printed abroad. Hathili Dulhan - based on Taming of the Shrew. Heer Ranjha - First talkie by A. R. Kaardaar, made in Lahore. Raadhe Shyam - Rajkumari was a child artiste. Shikari - First talkie for Jairaj. Shyam Sunder - First movie by Shahu Modak, starring as a young Krishan. Shanta Apte was Radha.