R.K. Films

Main Availability

Not to be confused with Roth/Kirschenbaum Films.

Credits

Descriptions by
VenusandMars77

Captures by
Tabit, Camenati, and Minako Arisato

Editions by
Tabit, Timpbskid23 and Camenati

Video captures courtesy of
TheMightyFounder, Makoto&Kotone Media and David Logo Editor3

Background

R.K. Films was an Indian Hindi-language film company founded by Indian actor and director Raj Kapoor in 1948. They have made a lot of films between the year of the company starting from 1948 to 1999, most made in the 1960s and 1970s. They went defunct on the 16th of September 2017 after a massive fire broke out on the studio and the Kapoor family sold the name and the studio.

1st Logo (August 6, 1948)

Visuals: There is a small altar with some tins surrounding it, including a candle. A flame burns in the centre of the altar. After about 30 seconds, a pair of hands throw a powder into the flame. The company name does not appear.

Trivia: The powder thrown into the fire is part of a ritual called Homa, where Hindus offer sacrifice to the fire.

Technique: Live-action.

Audio: A small group of men chanting in Hindi in unison.

Availability: Only seen on Aag.

2nd Logo (April 22, 1949)

Visuals: The sequences opens with a slow fade into a dark forest with a man sitting, legs crossed, in front of a black altar (called a Shiva Linga). There is also a shape of a Trishul (a Trident) behind the altar. Two scintillating white glares can be seen behind the man, and on the right of the altar. Like the last logo, the company name does not appear.

Trivia: The man appearing in this logo is Raj Kapoor's father Prithviraj Kapoor, an actor himself. Prithviraj appears before the 3rd logo praying to the Linga under a tree in an open field till his death in 1972 after which the footage is used before the 4th logo as well.

Technique: Live-action.

Audio: A series of loud clangs with a ominous sitar throughout, followed by the man chanting in Hindi. A large choir of men can be heard chanting with the man in the background.

Availability: Only seen on Barsaat.

3rd Logo (December 14, 1951 - May 24, 1996)

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Visuals:. A stylized statue of two lovers, Pran and Reshma from the film Barsaat, with the sun rising and illuminating it. The statue stands on top of a pedestal, which reads "R.K FILMS", "RK" on the upper part of the pedestal, and "FILMS" on the bottom.

Trivia: Thanks to the superhit performance of Barsaat, this logo was adopted for the rest of the studio's history.

Technique: Live-action.

Audio: Either a bombastic orchestral fanfare with some drums, of the film's opening theme.

Availability: Seen on most of their films from 1951 up to 1996, starting with Awaara, and lastly Prem Granth.

Legacy: An iconic and well-remembered logo for any fan of the works of Raj Kapoor.

4th Logo (January 22, 1999)

Visuals: Set on the ocean with the sun rising, there is a golden spark flying in towards the right direction, as a CGI render of the Pran and Reshma statue in gold, emerges from the viewer. The camera pans downwards from the statue to reveal the shiny golden letters "RK" below that is sitting on top of a shiny golden pedestal containing "FILMS". The camera continues to pan around the statue until it gets a full shot of the statue, as the same golden spark rapidly flies in from the left, whereas the sun has almost fully risen. The result is a CGI remake of the previous logo.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A synthesized render of the previous logo's fanfare.

Availability: Only seen on Aa Ab Laut Chalen, the company's last film before the studio went into flames and then sold out many years later.