Devika Rani | Photo courtesy Rashid Ashraf
Devika was now the acknowledged boss of Bombay Talkies. The years of suffering and abuse were behind her. At last she was being valued for her own hard work as the head of the studio – not because she was Himansu’s wife. Along with her acting skills, her management skills also came to the fore.
When questions were raised by shareholders of Bombay Talkies as to why the resignations of so many of their leading artistes (including Ashok Kumar) and technicians had been promptly accepted by HIT, a carefully drafted note was submitted on 27 January 1943 addressed to the chairman of Bombay Talkies, by HIT, the managing agents.