Decline
Despite Devika Rani's success as the Bombay Talkies' head producer, in 1950 a rift arose between her and her managers Sashadhar Mukherjee and Ashok Kumar. Although reasons for the rift have never been made public and largely remain unclear to film industry observers, Sashadhar Mukheerjee and Ashok Kumar allegedly attempted to begin their own production house under the guise of Bombay Talkies. Despite Devika Rani, Sashadhar Mukherjee, and Ashok Kumar attempting to create a working relationship which involved alternating production of major films between the two rival production camps, the relationship proved untenable and was fraught with allegations of sabotage, dramatic ego clashes, in-fighting, and the relentless circulation of malicious rumors.
Negotiations between Devika Rani on the one hand and Sashadhar Mukherjee and Ashok Kumar on the other, with Rajnarayan Dube, who was bestowed with the honorific title "the pillar of the Indian film industry", interceding on Devika Rani's behalf, failed to unite the company. As a successful businessperson, Rajnarayan Dube was personally involved in fundraising efforts to cover the production costs of all of the 102 films released by the Bombay Talkies Company. Without the financial support of Rajnarayan Dube, the studio was ultimately unable to sustain itself and had no option but to cease operating. With the Bombay Talkies company in such a state of disarray, the decision to close the company was made in 1954.
The Bombay Talkies remains a well loved Indian institution which has attained an international cult status, and has launched the careers of many of India's most prolific and well known film industry personalities.
Today the Studio is completely closed and there are many small scale companies around it. It has now become just a landmark for locating the address.
Read more about this topic: Bombay Talkies
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