It's a bird.. It's a plane.. It's Superman!
Superman is quite the flavor of the season. From the critically acclaimed 'Superboys of Malegaon' to the eagerly awaited upcoming DC film helmed by James Gunn, ‘Supes’ is trending everywhere.
Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character made its comic debut in 1938 and nearly a century later, remains the most popular superhero along with Spiderman.
The first big screen adaptation of Superman was 1951’s ‘Superman and the Mole Men’ – starring George Reeves as the titular character.
When supermom donned a cape!
However, India and Bollywood were not far behind. The first Indian / Hindi version of DC’s legendary superhero was released in 1960, and was titled ‘Superman’.
Which burly Desi hero would play the first Indian Superman? Turns out, none! India’s first Superman was played by a woman, Nirupa Roy, who in time, would become synonymous with the portrayal of motherly characters on screen.
Roy, whose portrayal of tragic characters would go on to earn her the title of ‘Queen of Misery’, was the one who donned the cape and foiled the evil plans of villains in the film.
The sequel of India’s first Superman movie, titled ‘Return of Mr. Superman’ was subsequently released. Although, that had Paidi Jairaj playing the role of Superman.
‘Sometimes, the best man for a job is a woman’, the tagline for Marvel’s popular series, Agent Carter, accurately encapsulates the story of how India’s on-screen supermom, Nirupa Roy became India’s first Superman!
(*This article has been curated by Hook. All claims and opinions expressed belong to the original author. Hook does not verify or endorse the information presented and is not responsible for its accuracy.*)
