As Bollywood celebrates its centenary, Sanjeev Bhaskar reveals how three of the most influential figures of early Indian cinema began their careers on the stages and screens of London’s West End: screenwriter Niranjan Pal, producer/actor Himansu Rai and actress Devika Rani. Their films include the pioneering feature-length silent epic The Light of Asia which received a Royal Command screening at Windsor Castle in 1926. (1 x 28′)
First broadcast November 2013 BBC Radio 4
Contributors: Stephen Hughes, Ian Christie, Lalit and Kusum Joshi, Joyojeet Pal, Cary Sawhney and Kishwar Desai
Readings by Sagar Arya
Associate Producer Suman Bhuchar Producer Mukti Jain Campion
Radio choice: The Radio Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Times and the Observer, The Metro
One of those short but intriguing features that takes a subject you think you know all about and subverts your expectations – the Spectator review
At just 30 minutes, Lights, Camera, Akshun! has more to inform than many programmes twice the length, plus the distinct advantage of a presenter, Sanjeev Bhaskar, who sounds genuinely fascinated by the archive material it contains. – The Stage review