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 (1948) and 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)[]
Logo: We see 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.
Trivia: The powder thrown into the fire is part of a ritual called Homa, where Hindus offer sacrifice to the fire.
FX/SFX: The fire burning, the hands throwing the powder; all live action.
Music/Sounds: A small group of men chanting in Hindi in unison.
Availability: Extremely rare, only seen on Aag.
Editor’s Note: None.
2nd Logo (April 22, 1949)[]
Logo: We slowly 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.
FX/SFX: Live action.
Music/Sounds: 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: Extremely rare, only seen on Barsaat.
Editor’s Note: None.
3rd Logo (December 14, 1951 - January 22, 1999)[]
Nicknames: "The Barsaat Logo", "Pran and Reshma Statues"
Logo: 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.
FX/SFX: The sun rising and illuminating the statue.
Music/Sounds: May vary. The most common one is a bombastic fanfare with some drums.
Availability: Seen on most of their films since 1951.
Editor's Note: None.