Rajshri Productions

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

Rajshri Productions Pvt. Ltd. is a film production and distribution company based in Mumbai, India, established in 1947, primarily involved in producing Hindi films. Its first release Aarti met critically acclaimed and was screened at international film festivals. This was followed by Dosti, a non-star-cast film that became a box office success, and received the National Award for the Best Hindi Film of the Year (1964) and six Filmfare Awards.

Rajshri made several more successful and critically acclaimed movies between the 1960s and 1980s including Uphaar, Geet Gaata Chal, Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se, Chitchor, Dulhan Wahi Jo Piya Man Bhaye and Saaransh. At the end of the 1980s, when the film industry experienced a slump due to the advent of home video, it was on the verge of closing down. However, the company had a hit with a musical teenage romance, Maine Pyar Kiya, directed in-house by Sooraj R. Barjatya, which saved the company from closure. It became one of Indian cinema's biggest grosser and won six Filmfare Awards including Best Film and the Most Sensational Debut of the Year for 24-year-old Salman Khan.



1st Logo (August 10, 1962-November 6, 1964)


Visuals: On a black background with a spotlight in the center is the silhouette of an Indian lady (who is actually Saraswati) with a tambura, standing on a large petal with a pedestal underneath. As the statue is revealed, the pedestal is shown reading "RAJSHRI Productions" in a stacked format.

Technique: Live-action.

Audio: A swarmandal strum fanfare.

Availability: Appeared on Aarti and Dosti.


2nd Logo (June 4, 1970-October 9, 1986)

Visuals: There is a different statue of Saraswati, now with one of her legs folded. It is on top of a bigger pedestal and against a dark room with a spotlight in the center. Then, a red ring with "RAJSHRI" and "PRODUCTIONS" in top and bottom arched, pops in around the statue.

Variants:

  • The earliest version of the logo starts with just the statue of Saraswati on a plain blue background with the ring fading in not long after.
  • A widescreen variant has multiple key differences such as a closer and more detailed look of the statue, the ring, now with a white outline, fading in and the text in a flat white color rather than include a gray shadow.
  • Another variant has the logo in different lighting with the statue brighter in various places and the room darker. The ring in this variant fades in and "PRODUCTIONS" is replaced with "PICTURES".

Technique: Live action.

Audio: A swarmandal tune which starts with three glissandos and ends into a 4-note organ sound, then swarmandal tune is played over with the orchestral notes at the tail end.

Availability: The "PICTURES" variant is found on Saudagar and Nadiya Ke Paar, but the "PRODUCTIONS" is easier to find and seen intact on Manokaamna, Uphaar and Chitchor, among others. The widescreen appeared on Chitchor.


3rd logo (December 29, 1989-August 16, 2011)


Visuals: A painting of Saraswati with some light burst while against a sky background is shown. Much like the previous logo, the ring with the company name pops in, only for it to be transparent with no red fill and the font is different, almost similar to the widescreen variant from before.

Variants:

  • Sometimes, the ring may fade in.
  • On Jaana Pehchana, the logo is tinted blue.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: Same as the previous logo but more bombastic and includes a choir singing at the end in place of the orchestral notes.

Availability: Seen on their films from this period starting with Maine Pyar Kiya and ending with Jaana Pehchana.

4th Logo (April 25, 2014)

Visuals: The screen flashes and reveals a sleeker look of the previous painting with light gleaming out of Saraswati and small dust particles floating around. The light would die down a few seconds later. Then, the ring from before, now colored blue, zooms out with a dimly lit white background around the ring. As the ring stops zooming out, it shines.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: The same track as before, which begins on Tarachand Barjatya's dedication card.

Availability: Only seen on Samrat & Co.

5th logo (November 12, 2015-)

Visuals: There is the same HD look to the 1989 painting, only this time, the screen is panning upwards. Not long before the light burst dies down, the camera stops moving and the same ring from the third logo fades in.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Same as before.

Availability: Seen on their more recent films such as Prem Ratan Dhan Payo and Hum Chaar.

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