RAJSHRI PRODUCTIONS...WHERE PRINCIPLES MATTER MOST.
For the past 60 years, since 1947, the RAJSHRI ORGANISATION has been an integral part of the Indian Film Industry, enjoying a unique position covering film production, distribution, exhibition, export, television and digital media. Upholding the organisation are Kamal Kumar, Rajkumar and Ajit Kumar Barjatya.
Tarachand Barjatya was the founder of the RAJSHRI organisation. An institution in himself, he was closely associated with the Indian film industry for fifty-nine years and was the main motivating force behind the establishment, growth and grand success of RAJSHRI. Tarachand Barjatya had the rare honour of being appointed by the Government of India as a member of the Working Group of Films, which submitted its report to the Parliament.
Tarachand Barjatya was born in Rajasthan on May 10, 1914. At the age of 19 he joined Moti Mahal Theatres Pvt. Ltd. in April 1933 as an unpaid apprentice. He went to Chennai as their general manager in 1939. At Chennai, he contacted the top producers of Telugu and Tamil films. His hard work, devotion and enterprise rejuvenated the fortunes of his ailing employer's business. With his employer's help and financial assistance, he soon started his own film distribution concern.
RAJSHRI PICTURES (P) LTD., the film distribution wing, was established on August 15, 1947 at the dawn of India 's independence. Tarachand Barjatya was instrumental in bringing prominent South Indian film producers into mainstream Hindi film production. He distributed many of their epoch making Hindi films all over India, starting with Gemini's Chandralekha the biggest hit of its time. Over the years, besides distributing its own films, RAJSHRI PICTURES (P) LTD. has distributed many of the top box-office hits from Mumbai and the South including Chandralekha, Nishan, Sansaar, Bahar, Ladki, Azad, Baiju Bawra, Choti Bahen, Sasural, Beti-Bete, Jeene Ki Raah, Raja Aur Rank, Milan, Khilona, Anand, Guddi, Suraj, Farz, Jigri Dost, Sholay, Dharamveer, Amar Akbar Anthony, Parvarish, Jugnu, Avtaar, Victoria No. 203, Roti Kapda aur Makaan, Coolie, Mard, Pratighaat, Koi Mil Gaya, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Devdas, Munnabhai MBBS, Lakshya, Yuva, Sarkar, Krrish, Lage Raho Munnabhai etc., produced by top film makers like Gemini, AVM, Anjali, Jupiter, Pakshiraja, Prasad Productions, Sippy Films, Manmohan Desai, Mohan Kumar, Ushakiran Movies etc.
RAJSHRI PICTURES (P) LTD. enjoys an incomparable position today as the leading all-lndia film distribution organisation, covering every nook and corner of our country through its 19 offices.
RAJSHRI PRODUCTIONS (P) LTD., setup in 1960, has prolifically produced 50 films, many of which are landmarks in the history of Indian Cinema. Beginning with Aarti in 1962, Rajshri went on to produce critically acclaimed and commercially successful films like Aarti, Dosti, Jeevan Mrityu, Uphaar, Piya Ka Ghar, Saudagar, Geet Gata Chal, Tapasya, Chitchor, Dulhan Wahi Jo Piya Man Bhaaye, Paheli, Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se, Sunayana, Gopal Krishna, Taraana, Sawan Ko Aane Do, Payal Ki Jhankar, Nadiya Ke Paar, Sun Meri Laila, Saaransh, Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Hum Saath Saath Hain and Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon.
Geet Gata Chal
Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!
These award-winning films have been cultural ambassadors of Indian culture, the globe over. Rajshri Productions is thus a benchmark when it comes to bestowing family viewing, melodious timeless music, and traditional values.
RAJSHRI has produced several documentaries with special accent on Jainism.
Rajshri also owns the negative rights to an assortment of films including Bombay to Goa, Bhoot Bangla, Bhuvan Shome, Banarasi Thug, Chandan Ka Palna, Chote Nawab, Do Phool, Deedar, Dil Tera Diwana, Garam Masala, Hari Darshan, Johar in Bombay, Kapurush-Mahapurush, Maa Beta, Mr. X In Bombay, Padosan, Pati Patni, Phoolon Ki Sej, Passport, Parasmani, Sadhu Aur Shaitan, Sabse Bada Rupaiya, Suraj, Suvarna Rekha, Tulsi Vivah among others.
Rajshri has continually endeavored to stimulate the growth of new talent in practically all departments of film making including artists, directors, screenplay writers, music directors, lyricists, playback singers, cinematographers, editors, audiographers, choreographers, fight composers… etc.
Some of the prominent artists are: “Raakhee, Jaya Bhaduri, Sanjay Khan, Farida Jalal, Sarika, Vijayendra, Ranjeeta, Rameshwari, Sachin, Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Arun Govil, Mukesh Khanna, Raj Babbar, Bhagyashree, Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit.”
Among the distinguished directors are: “Satyen Bose, Basu Chatterjee, Sudhendu Roy, Lekh Tandon, Hiren Nag, Govind Moonis and Mahesh Bhatt.”
Rajshri has promoted some of the most renowned music directors such as: “Laxmikant Pyarelal, Ravindra Jain, Bappi Lahri, Rajkamal, Usha Khanna and Raamlaxman.”
Some of the elite playback singers are: “Yesudas, Hemlata, Suresh Wadkar, Shailendra Singh, Kavita Krishnamoorty, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan and Anuradha Paudwal.”
Rajshri's first film, “Aarti” (1962) was screened at International Film Festivals. “Dosti,” a non-star cast film that became a colossal hit clinching the National Award for the Best Hindi Film of 1964 and accumulating 6 Filmfare awards, followed this. It won laurels at the Moscow Film festival and numerous accolades at other major film festivals for its deep humanism and progressive theme. “Uphaar” won a Filmfare Special Award for Jaya Bhaduri. “Chitchor” won a Filmfare Award for Best Playback Singer (Hemlata) and a Special Award for playback singer Yesudas. “Dulhan Wahi Jo Piya Man Bhaaye” captured the Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay and Dialogue. “Tapasya” was applauded by the critics for its mass appeal and wholesome entertainment, and was awarded the “Golden Lotus,” the National Award for Best Feature Film. It also won the Filmfare Best Actress Award. (Raakhee) “Taqdeer” was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Art Direction and “Agent Vinod” won the Filmfare Award for Best Sound. Several other films have had remarkable success such as “Jeevan Mrityu”, “Piya Ka Ghar”, “Geet Gaata Chal”, “Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se”, “Taraana”, “Nadiya Ke Paar” and “Saaransh.”
At the end of the 1980's, Rajshri's in-house talent Sooraj R. Barjatya's directorial debut “Maine Pyar Kiya” became an instant masterpiece. This simplistic, teenage romance was the most successful film of its time with its magical, melodious portrayal of innocent first love. In 1989, Maine Pyar Kiya accrued 6 Filmfare awards. In order to capture the South Indian market, “Maine Pyar Kiya” was dubbed in Telugu (Prema Paavuraalu:), Tamil (Kaadhal Oru Kavithai), and Malayalam (Ina Praavukal) where it received an overwhelming response. The film's English version, “When Love Calls”, proved to be the highest revenue grossing film in the Caribbean market at Guyana and Trinidad. For the first time ever, Rajshri formulated a Spanish version of “Maine Pyar Kiya” entitled “Te Amo”, which received a rousing response during its 10-week premiere screening in Lima, Peru.
Sooraj's next offering, “Hum Aapke Hain Koun…!” was a film that again managed to rewrite history for the second time in a row. Released in 1994, HAHK captured the box office in mesmerizing fashion by being Indian Cinema's top grossing film of all time. This was the film that instilled a new lease of life in the ailing film industry by bringing viewers back to cinema halls. It ran for over 25 weeks in 150 cinemas, for over 50 weeks in 52 cinemas and crossed the magical 100th week mark in 4 cinemas in India. This was the first Hindi film to run in mainscreen cinemas in U.S.A. , U.K. and other parts of the world and creating records unheard of, before. It ran for over 50 weeks in Bellevue Cinema, London and at Albion Cinema, Toronto - the first Hindi film to do so. This film takes the credit for reviving the theatrical release of Hindi films abroad. It won the prestigious national award from the President of India for being “The Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment”, while Jay Borade was adjudged as “The Best Choreographer”. In addition, it swept 5 awards at the Filmfare Awards Ceremony and 6 awards at the Screen-Panasonic Awards Ceremony. With this film Rajshri also gave a boost to film merchandising, which was till then at a nascent stage in India. Sooraj R. Barjatya's third film Hum Saath-Saath Hain was the biggest grosser of 1999.
Sooraj R. Barjatya's forthcoming film Vivah is one of the most awaited films of 2006 and stars the young pair of Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao. Besides being a fresh love story, the film is also the first to tackle the relationship of a couple bound by the bond of engagement rings and the special rights they give one another. It traces the relationship of the couple and their journey from engagement to marriage.
Rajshri has also many other firsts to its credit. In December 1996, Rajshri became the first Indian entertainment company to establish its presence on the Internet by launching its own website.
In 1998 a fresh sound emerged in the Indian Music Industry with the launch of Rajshri Music. Known for quality music in its films, Rajshri now stepped into producing quality non-film music as well. Its first non-film album Yeh Hai Prem reached dizzy heights in sales and popularity making it the biggest hit of 1998. Supported by an extensive merchandise campaign, this album also turned out to be the first concept album in the Indian Music Industry. Thereafter, Rajshri Music launched several albums including Gaarva (Marathi), Valentine's Day, College Ke Din, Pyar Ke Geet and Tum Ho Mere Paas.
Gaarva
College Ke Din
Rajshri Productions Pvt Ltd's Television Division is two years old and is spearheaded by the young and enterprising Kavita K. Barjatya. The first programme Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki is the flagship daily soap of SaharaOne Channel and has moved the channel GRPs up, propelling it notches above its original position. Its leading lady Reena Kapoor, though just one show old, is a household name today.
Following in the footsteps of the successful Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki was Pyaar Ke Do Naam… Ek Raadha, Ek Shyaam on Star Plus. It was a love story based on reincarnation. A poignant love story, with the added element of Raadha and Shyaam, the show dealt with the universal truth that love is eternal. The show was successfully completed in September 2006.
Interestingly, in 1985 Rajshri had been one of the earliest television serial producers with the telecast of its first tele-serial Paying Guest, a weekly feature on Doordarshan, in a finite format of 26 episodes. With more projects in the pipeline, Rajshri's television divison is thus set to progress from strength to strength.
Yet another dynamic venture headed by Rajjat A. Barjatya – Rajshri Media is an ambitious new initiative in digital media. The newly incubated outfit is working towards the launch of an online broadband video store and a wap store on mobile networks, both of which will serve premium Indian content to digitally connected consumers worldwide. New forms of rich content, especially conceived and developed for digital devices like mobile phones, iPods and personal computers, is also on the cards. Rajshri aims to enrich the lives of millions across the globe with the power of Indian wisdom, culture and entertainment, using technology as an enabler.
During the past six decades, Rajshri has explored and set new trends in the entertainment world. Tarachand Barjatya, a deep devotee of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry set philosophies of promoting good cinema, producing wholesome musical entertainers and introducing new talents in every sphere of filmmaking that have been rightly upheld by his sons Kamal Kumar Barjatya, Rajkumar Barjatya and Ajit Kumar Barjatya. The Rajshri legacy is now being carried forward by Sooraj R. Barjatya, Rajjat A. Barjatya and Kavita K. Barjatya guided by the principles of honesty, transparency and fair play in business, a reputation Rajshri is widely known for.
