The first superstar of Indian cinema had a very ordinary name, Kumudlal Kanjilal Ganguly, when he came to Mumbai wanting to be a director. He was suddenly brought to the forefront by brother-in-law, S. Mukherjee, when the male lead of Jeevan Naiyya (1936), Najmul Hasan, was dropped after a scandalous elopement with Devika Rani, the wife of producer Himanshu Rai.
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