Renee Smith (15 October 1912 – 1983), known professionally as Seeta Devi, was an Indian actress and a prominent star of the silent film era. She was one of the early stars of silent films in the Indian film industry. Discovered by filmmaker Himanshu Rai, she became the face of several landmark Indo-European co-productions, including the acclaimed "oriental trilogy" directed by Franz Osten. Seeta was the first actress to play Anarkali on screen, in Charu Roy's The Loves Of A Mughal Prince (1928).
Seeta was known as The Brightest Star In The Indian Cinema World. Seeta's films were very popular in Europe and she had a mass followers of fans from England, Germany, Poland and Austria. Along with Ermeline, Ruby Myers, Sabita Devi and Patience Cooper, she is credited as a "leading star" of the 1920s and 1930s who had more mass appeal than their male counterparts.
She is stated to be one of the "prominent" leading ladies of the "pioneering era" of Indian cinema along with Mehtab, Bibbo, Durga Khote, Gohar, Devika Rani, Susan Solomon and Indira Devi.
Early life Devi was born Renee Smith in 1912 to an Anglo-Indian family. In the early Indian film industry, Anglo-Indian actresses were often preferred for their light complexion, which was favored by contemporary cinematic standards. She was given the stage name "Seeta Devi" by Himanshu Rai when she was cast in her debut film at the age of thirteen.
Career Discovery and rise to fame
In 1922, she made her debut as a child actress and acted in film Indrajit in a supporting role. Devi made her screen debut in lead role in Prem Sanyas (1925), also known as The Light of Asia, playing the role of Gopa. The film was a major international success, particularly in Europe, and established her as an overnight star.
She became a central figure in a trilogy of films produced by Rai's Great Eastern Film Corporation in collaboration with the German company Emelka and British Instructional Films.
Three of her most successful films were: The Light of Asia, Shiraz, and Prapancha Pash. She worked in Shiraz a romance about the construction of the Taj Mahal, where Devi played the "other woman," a manipulative rival to Mumtaz Mahal. A Throw of Dice (Prapancha Pash, 1929) which was an epic drama based on an episode from the Mahabharata. All three of these films were made through the collaboration of German film director Franz Osten and Indian actor-producer Himanshu Rai along with Bavarian company Emelka."Indian Films and Western Audiences", an article by Jerzy Toeplitz, from Unesco website This unique trilogy were connected to three different religions and based on three different stories of Indian history/mythology: The Light of Asia was based on the life of Buddha, Shiraz was based on construction of the Taj Mahal and Prapancha Pash, better known by its English title A Throw of Dice, was based on a story from the Mahabharata. Seeta Devi was the leading actress in all these three films, though the role in Shiraz was that of 'the other woman'.
Madan Theatres and later silent films Beyond her work with Rai and Osten, Devi was a star for Madan Theatres in Calcutta. She appeared in several film adaptations of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's novels, including Durgesh Nandini (1927), Kapal Kundala (1929), and Krishnakanter Will (1926).
In the late 1920s, Devi travelled to Paris to seek roles in European films but was told she did not look "Indian enough" for the exotic expectations of Western producers.
Later she directed a film Bharat Ramani (also known as The Enchantress of India) in 1930 and she acted in the lead role. The same year she directed and produced Kal Parinaya (also known as Fatal Marriage) and she portrayed the role of Kishori.
Talkie films Like many silent era stars, she struggled with the transition to "talkies". With the coming of sound, Seeta found a lull in her career, as it now required an actor to be proficient in Hindustani. She took some break from acting and learned the language, she made her comeback with the talkie version of Rose of Kashmir (1931) which became popular at the box office as her fans got to hear her voice and talk on screen for the first time despite her struggling with the dialogues the film became famous. Her early talkie film credits include Naseeb Ni Balihari (1931) and Shikari (1932) both films were hits at the box office. She continued acting into the early sound era with films like Raja Gopichand (1933) which was a hit film at the box office. Devi retired from acting and the screen in the early 1933 following the introduction of sound in Indian cinema.
Playback singing and retirement In 1956, Devi contributed as a playback singer later in her career, notably for the 1956 film Badal Aur Bijli.
Personal life Seeta's sister Percy Smith was also an actress; it was believed that the sisters alternatively appeared as "Seeta Devi".A slideshow from Hindustan Times website
Death She died in 1983 at the age of 71 in India.
Filmography Film Silent Movies Year Film Role Notes 1922 Indrajit Debut film 1922 Bemata 1923 Yayati 1923 Step Mother 1925 Prem Sanyas Princess Gopa 1926 Krishnakanter Will (1926 film) Bhramar 1926 Light of Asia 1926 Durgesh Nandini One Tilottama 1927 Durgesh Nandini Two Tilottama Produced by Madan Theatres 1928 Sarla 1928 Sarala Sarala 1928 Shiraz Selima 1928 The Loves Of A Mughal Prince Anarkali Also titled Rajmahal Ni Ramani 1928 Bhrantri (Mistake) 1929 Kapal Kundala 1929 A Throw of Dice Sunita (Prapancha Pash) 1930 Bharat Ramani (The Enchantress of India) 1930 Kal Parinaya Kishori (Fatal Marriage)
Talkie Movies Year Film Role Notes 1931 Rose of Kashmir 1931 Nasih Ni Balihart 1932 Shikari 1933 Raja Gopichand Shehzadi
Director Year Film Role Notes 1930 Bharat Ramani Director (The Enchantress of India) 1930 Kal Parinaya Director (Fatal Marriage)
Producer Year Film Role Notes 1930 Kal Parinaya Producer Producer and director
Playback singer Year Film Role Notes 1956 Badal Aur Bijli Singer Playback singer
References
External links
Bengali article from abasar.net