Biography
Himanshu Rai, also credited as Himansu Rai, was an Indian actor, director and producer. Born in 1892 in Cuttack in the Bengal Presidency of British India, he trained as a lawyer before becoming involved in theatre and film while in London.
He collaborated with playwright Niranjan Pal and German director Franz Osten on a series of Indo-German productions. Rai appeared in and produced The Light of Asia (1925), Shiraz (1928) and A Throw of Dice (1929), in which he played King Sohat. He later founded the Bombay Talkies studio in 1934 with actress Devika Rani, to whom he was married from 1929 until his death in 1940.
Rai is regarded as a pioneer of Indian cinema. His other notable works include Karma (1933).
