This film is part of Free
Karma
Lavish British-Indian romance that caused controversy in India with its record-setting screen kiss
Overview
This lavish British-Indian romance was shot on location in actual palaces and temples in India, giving it an authentic feel. The story of a forbidden love affair between a princess and a prince, Karma was a great success on its London release. But it was less well-received in India, shocking many with its long screen kiss (lasting four minutes: a record still unbroken more than 80 years later), though it may have helped that the actors involved, Devika Rani and Himanshu Rai, had been for three years.
Devika Rani (grand-niece of revered Indian poet, novelist, musician and artist Rabindranath Tagore) starred in numerous films during the 1930s and 1940s and is often seen as the first lady of Indian cinema, while Himanshu Rai was something of a mogul, a driving force behind several international co-productions, including The Light of Asia (1925), Shiraz (1928) and A Throw of Dice (1929). The couple would go on to found the respected Bombay Talkies studio a year after Karma was released.
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