EVENTS

The Kali Ghat in the city of Calcutta saw the birth of Rajnarayan Dube in the year 1910 on 10th October. He was alumni of the first oldest modern educational institution in Asia “Hindu School Kolkata”. Rajnarayan Dube went on to become what people called him Pillar of Indian Cinema. His grandfather was one of the closest associates of the greatest revolutionary Chapekar Brothers and a prestigious wrestler of that era. He used to teach the students of Akhada. His father Seth Badriprasad Dube was one of the prestigious business tycoons from India. Rajnarayan Dube started early at a young age of 16. Moving to Bombay was the first step of his journey. In Bombay where his father Seth Badriprasad Dube, a business tycoon had a running business of financial services (money lending) got great help with his joining. After starting young Rajnarayan Dube with the guidance of his father went on to establish Dube Industries which played a vital role in the development of Bombay at that time. It had a diverse portfolio of Construction, Finance and Share Market.  

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Later in life, Abhimanyu Singh (whom Rajnarayan Dube cited as uncle and his very close family friend) introduced Himanshu Rai, a London return actor/ theatre artist to Seth Badriprasad Dube with a dream of making a cinema company but Seth Badriprasad declined the proposal of funding Himanshu Rai because Seth Badriprasad had once financed the first Indian Talkie film Alam Ara in 1931, which dint earn him any profit and he made an opinion that of only actors and directors get fame but the financier doesn’t get profits. During that era, the film business was not considered as money earning business. It was more about the passion of cinema and getting fame. Because of this fact, Seth Badriprasad Dube declined the proposal of financing Himanshu Rai.

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In the end when nothing went right for him, Abhimanyu Singh again took Himanshu Rai to Rajnarayan Dube as he was looking for financial help for his project to establish a film company in India. As Himanshu couldn’t convince Rajnarayan Dube to invest in his project because he had no assurance over the returns on the investment. He had tried various attempts to get monetary help from elsewhere but to fail. Himanshu Rai tried committing suicide but was unsuccessful in his attempt. Rajnarayan Dube got to know about Rai’s attempt of suicide and then Rajnarayan Dube realized Himanshu Rai's passion for art and came forward to support him to begin and establish Indian cinema’s biggest name BOMBAY TALKIES.