Raj Kapoor – The Stylish Showman of Bollywood

By: Souvik Chatterji.

Raj Kapoor can be considered as the most colourful personality that had glorified the Indian silver screen for the last 60 years. Not only was he a stylish showman, and more than that he was a grand creator with majestic vision. Born in 1924, Raj Kapoor, learnt all the skills relating to direction in films within short period of time. Having the rich legacy of acting in Prithvi Theatres created by his father, he acted in some of the drama launched by his father and stormed into the film arena with the film Aag in 1947, which was directed by himself.

In Barsaat, 1949, Raj Kapoor formed a majestic romantic pair with Nargis and music directors Shankar Jaikishan, lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri, Shailendra, cameraman Radhu Karmakar and other dignitaries who contributed to RK films. The romantic story was a super duper hit with Lata’s songs like “jiya beqararhai”, “hawa me urta jaye”, etc, becoming trend setters. Within a shot time Raj Kapoor started making films which conveyed a very strong social message. His film Awara, 1951, was based on the theme that human being is a victim of circumstances and even if the son of a barrister is uprooted from his royal family which happened to Raj Kapoor in the film and brought amongst thieves and lawbreakers (played by KN Singh) he ends up being an awara, who cannot give his father’s recognition. It has happened with a lot of people in India, who got involved in unlawful activities due to circumstances. His film was well appreciated in Russia, and Raj Kapoor became an international figure. The same film had shown other directors how to picturise dream sequence songs like “ghar aya mera pardesi”. Besides Shankar Jaikishan’s prelude in the song “awara hoon” sung by Mukesh depicted Raj Kapoor as the pied piper of Hamlin, and after that film in every film of Raj Kapoor, the prelude used to make people understand that he is appearing.

After having success in films like Andaz, 1949, directed by Mehboob Khan opposite dilip Kumar, Aah, 1953, Raj Kapoor produced, directed and acted in the next blockbuster Shri 420, in 1955. All the songs in the film including “mur murk ke na dekh”, “pyar hua ikrar hua”, “dil ka haal sune dilwala”, “ramaiya vasta maiya” were super hits and the film used the available singing giants in India including Rafi, Mukesh, Manna Dey, Lata, Asha, etc. Raj Kapoor’s display about the corruption in society with the adaptation of mannerism of Charlie Chaplin amused the viewers. The image of Nadira depicted in the film gave her the identity of villanious performer for the rest of her career. In Jaagte Raho, 1956, Raj Kapoor acted in a film with hardly any dialogues and showed the social crimes taking place in different floors of the same building where a poor villager can feel ashamed of. The film won international award in Berlin film festival. Raj Kapoor’s other films like Anari, 1959, opposite Nutan directed by Rishikesh Mukherjee, Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, 1960, opposite Padmini, also had strong social message and depicted Nehru’s dream of socialism embedded in them. The songs in all these films were superhits and Raj Kapoor convinced the group of dacoits operating in the Chambal region to surrender before the police in Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai. He received filmfare award for the best actor for both these films. With the advent of colour Raj Kapoor’s Sangam, 1964, showing tripartite affair with Rajender Kumar and Vijayantimala became the biggest hit of that age. Raj Kapoor’s other films like Phir Subah Hogi, 1958, opposite Mala Sinha, Chalia, 1960, opposite Nutan, Dil Hi To Hai, 1961, opposite Nutan, Teesri Kasam, 1966, opposite Wahida Rehman, Diwana, 1967, opposite Saira Banu, Around the world, 1967, opposite Rajashri, Sapno Ka Saudagar,1968, opposite Hema Malini, etc., all had classic picturisation, strong performance and outstanding music. From the 70s Raj Kapoor mainly concentrated on production and direction of films including Mera Naam Joker, 1971, Bobby, 1973, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, 1977, Prem Rog, 1982, Ram Teri Ganga Maili, 1985, etc.

Raj Kapoor’s films dealt with diversified subjects, sometimes involving teenage romance, sometimes oppression of women, sometimes, corruption in the society. He showed the other directors that film is a medium from where lot of messages can be given to the society. As he could play more than 10 instruments while giving lips in songs picturised in his films it always appeared that he was singing, the skill which Rishi Kapoor, his son developed in later age. He changed his team of music composers from Shankar Jaikishan, to Laxmikant Pyarellal and Ravindra Jain and in all his films there was meaningful music which did reach out to the masses. If the films where Raj Kapoor acted as hero can be scanned it will be found that he has almost worked with every giant music composer of that age, Naushad composed music for Andaz, Dastan, etc., Roshan for Dil Hi To Hai, Salil Choudhury for Jagte Raho, Kalyanji Anandji for Chalia, Dulha Dulhan, OP Nayyar for Do Ustad, Khayyam for Phir Subah Hogi, Dattaram for Parvarish, RD Burman for Dharam Karam, etc., to name a few. There was a time when Raj Kapoor lost count about the number of awards he had received, sometimes as best actor, or best director, or best producer, etc. He died in 1988 after receiving Dada Saheb Falke award, the greatest award for any film personality in India. His films should be restored for social awakening, musical value and lessons relating to strong picturisation of sequences.

Similar articles are available in http://stationhollywood.blogspot.com

Date of Birth
14 December 1924, Peshawar, British India (now in Pakistan)


Date of Death
2 June 1988, New Delhi, India. (kidney failure, heart failure, asthma)


Birth Name
Ranbir Raj Kapoor


Nickname
Showman of Bollywood


Mini Biography
Raj Kapoor was the son of well-known Indian actor Prithviraj Kapoor, who acted both in film and on stage. After apprenticing in the Bollywood production studios of the 1940's, at 24 years of age Raj Kapoor produced, directed and acted in Aag (1948), with his new company, RK Films. His next production, Barsaat (1949), was a smash hit. In 1951, he also produced, directed and starred in Awaara (1951), which was another megahit, and costarred Nargis, who had appeared in Aag and Barsaat. Awaara also gained popular acclaim in Russia, where the movie and songs were dubbed into Russian. The theme song, Awaara Hoon, was popular in the East for many years. Kapoor has been dubbed "a great showman," and a filmmaker in the purest Romantic tradition, as he strove to entertain as well as address social themes close to his heart. Awaara dealt with the question of what forms an individual's moral grounding, ("nurture or nature") while incorporating comedy and stirring love scenes; in Shree 420 (1955) he addressed issues of poverty, unemployment and national pride in the new Indian state at the same time maintaining the audience's interest in the romantic plot. While never revolutionary in tone, many of his films explore the ability of the individual to overcome economic and environmental injustice while maintaining his/her innocence and integrity. He is quoted as believing that the individual's struggles ultimately lead to the desire for love, to care and be cared for. This is consistent with his admiration of Charles Chaplin, and Kapoor's own "tramp" (Awaara, Shree 420, Mera Naam Joker (1970) is modeled somewhat on his mentor, though with a definite individual flair.

His films demonstrate an understanding of music and direction that continue to influence Bollywood filmmaking today. Also a musician, his understanding of the musical feel of his movies gives them a storytelling fluidity equal to that of the best American movie musicals. He surrounded himself with the foremost talents in filmmaking, acting, writing (Kwaja Ahmad Abbas' ), music composition (Jaikishan Dayabhai Pankal, 'Shankarsinh Raguwanshi' ), and playback singers, including Mukesh, 'Mohamed Rafi' , and Lata Mangeshkar. Kapoor continued to make films of varying critical and popular success up until his death in 1988, and apparently considered Mera Naam Joker his personal favorite. He is still a well-known name not only in India, but in the Middle East, SE Asia, and Eastern Europe. His descendants have attempted to continue the RK Films banner.

[quote name='RajKapoorFan' date='May 26 2008, 04:25 PM' post='499789']
Date of Birth
14 December 1924, Peshawar, British India (now in Pakistan)


[font=Tahoma][size=4]

Raj Kapoor has been a formidable talent and has a rich body of films for us to enjoy. His very first directorial venture, Aag, is a masterpiece by international standards.

Raj Kapoor had a gifted face that conveyed two valuable assets:

i) the inner honesty as ahuman being
ii) and a transparent face through which one could look at his heart.

Though both skilled actors, neither Dilip Kumar nor Dev Anand could express the moods of the heart with the same intensity.

And above these two qualities, the third asset with Raj Kapoor was that he was a good man. His achievement is great, it is justified in calling him the Greatest Showman. However certain limitations constrained him:

i) there were not many strong directors,
ii) and there were not many strong scripts.

In his own acting , he allowed the Chaplin- like style to be overpowering, though his own capacity was far superior. He could have done great justice to serious roles with controlled speech. We got glimpses of it in Aah, one of his earlier films.

In the film Dulha Dulhan he comes up with a brilliant performance where in he is neither the simpleton nor the joker. He is a sensitive person who is responsible and helpful, and yet when the time comes, he becomes assertive and venturesome. To the immaculate beauty of Sadhana, he presents the inner beauty of soul which is really entertaining.

We have talked about the limitations, on the positive side Raj Kapoor had Mukesh. Mukesh was the voice of Raj Kapoor's soul and in innumerable songs he flawlessly portrayed the feelings of of a sensitive actor.

Can anyone post some torrents of Raj Kapoor's movies?

It will be great to see those wonderful piece of art.

Thanks.
Gautam

[quote name='Splendour' date='Jul 20 2008, 11:04 PM' post='513718']
[quote name='RajKapoorFan' date='May 26 2008, 04:25 PM' post='499789']
Date of Birth
14 December 1924, Peshawar, British India (now in Pakistan)


[font=Tahoma][size=4]

Raj Kapoor has been a formidable talent and has a rich body of films for us to enjoy. His very first directorial venture, Aag, is a masterpiece by international standards.

Raj Kapoor had a gifted face that conveyed two valuable assets:

i) the inner honesty as ahuman being
ii) and a transparent face through which one could look at his heart.

Though both skilled actors, neither Dilip Kumar nor Dev Anand could express the moods of the heart with the same intensity.

And above these two qualities, the third asset with Raj Kapoor was that he was a good man. His achievement is great, it is justified in calling him the Greatest Showman. However certain limitations constrained him:

i) there were not many strong directors,
ii) and there were not many strong scripts.

In his own acting , he allowed the Chaplin- like style to be overpowering, though his own capacity was far superior. He could have done great justice to serious roles with controlled speech. We got glimpses of it in Aah, one of his earlier films.

In the film Dulha Dulhan he comes up with a brilliant performance where in he is neither the simpleton nor the joker. He is a sensitive person who is responsible and helpful, and yet when the time comes, he becomes assertive and venturesome. To the immaculate beauty of Sadhana, he presents the inner beauty of soul which is really entertaining.

We have talked about the limitations, on the positive side Raj Kapoor had Mukesh. Mukesh was the voice of Raj Kapoor's soul and in innumerable songs he flawlessly portrayed the feelings of of a sensitive actor.
[/quote]

Very well said. Nazrana and Aashik were another fine movies where he was not a simpleton or joker and
gave excellent performance. His performance, in Jagte Raho, was brilliant and unmatched to date in a simliar role.

As for Mukesh Raj Kapoor combination what more can we say that has not been said already. !!

Who are you kidding? Then you know nothing about Dilip Kumar!

Raj Kapoor was a brilliant Director. His performance in Anari and Jagte Raho was brilliant. Thats about all.