02004nam a2200193Ia 450000500170000000800410001702000180005808200160007610000230009224500760011525000190019126000560021030000760026652012950034265000290163765000610166665000330172765000500176020260630100029.0260630s9999||||xx |||||||||||||| ||und||  a9789351365365  a270 SEN223  aSengupta, Mekhala. 0aKanan Devib: The First Superstar of Indian Cinemac/ Mekhala Sengupta.  aFirst edition.  aNew Delhib: HarperCollins Publishers Indiac, 2015  axx, 208 p.b, 12 pages of plates : illustrations (some colour)c; 22 cm  aKanan Devi: The First Superstar of Indian Cinema is a detailed biography of Kanan Devi, one of the pioneering actresses and singers of Indian cinema. Written by Mekhala Sengupta, the book traces Kanan Devi's remarkable journey from a childhood marked by poverty and hardship to becoming one of the highest-paid and most celebrated film stars of the 1930s and 1940s. It highlights her extraordinary achievements in both silent films and the early era of sound cinema. The book explores her collaborations with legendary artists such as K. L. Saigal, Ashok Kumar, Pankaj Mullick, R. C. Boral, and Kazi Nazrul Islam, as well as her contribution to popularizing the musical works of Rabindranath Tagore and Nazrul. Beyond her artistic accomplishments, it examines her pioneering role as a film producer, her financial independence, and her efforts to improve the welfare of women working in the Indian film industry. Combining meticulous historical research with engaging narrative, the biography provides valuable insights into the evolution of Indian cinema, women's changing social roles, and the cultural history of twentieth-century India. It is an important resource for students and researchers of film studies, media studies, gender studies, cultural history, and modern Indian history.  aKanan Devi, 1916–1992.  aMotion picture actors and actresses—India—Biography.  aSingers—India—Biography.  aWomen in the motion picture industry—India.