Devika Rani is referred to with many names because every step she took back in the late 20s created ripples and also history. People remember one of the first onscreen kisses in India when she indulged in the same with her then husband Himanshu Rai in Karma. It was four-minute-long and created a lot of chaos. She became the lady who dared! When she acted she mesmerised everyone and when she took the reins of Bombay Talkies after the demise of Himanshu Rai, she made everyone take note of her. She is instrumental in giving the industry some of the biggest stars of the 50s - people we still cherish!  Let us tell you about a few of them. 60 Years of Mughal-E-Azam: From Sonam Kapoor to Salman Khan, When Actors Dressed up as the Iconic Characters From the Madhubala-Dilip Kumar Movie

Dilip Kumar

We will definitely start with Dilip Kumar. He was still Yusuff Khan when he met Devika Rani at Bombay Talkies hoping to crack a job. He did, obviously! She offered him the job of an actor with the production house for a monthly salary of Rs 1250. These were times when actors were paid monthly salaries and weren't allowed to work for other studios. Rani could gauge the brilliance of the man in just one meeting. It is said that she also christened him Dilip Kumar who debuted with Jwar Bhata in 1944.

Madhubala

Madhubala belonged to a very poor family and lived near Bombay Talkies. She caught Rai's fancy and was included in the list of actors at the studio. She debuted at the age of 9 with Basant as a child actor and was credited as Baby Mumtaz. Love Aaj Kal Maker Imtiaz Ali Steps Down As Director From Madhubala Biopic After Legendary Actress’ Family Disapproves the Project

Mumtaz Shanti

One of the most popular actresses of the 40s and early 50s, Mumtaz Shanti was launched with Basant in 1942, the movie that released under Rai's supervision. But her biggest box office winner was Kismat with Ashok Kumar which broke many records. It is said that the film was the highest-grossing movie till Sholay came along.

We are pretty sure there must have been many who were launched by Devika Rani but these are the ones who are still fresh in people's minds.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 30, 2021 09:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).