Referred as the Showman of India 'Raj
Kapoor' turns 100 this year. Born on December 14, 1924 in Peshawar, Raj Kapoor
was one of the most iconic figures of the Indan cinema. Being the son of
legendary Film maker and Theatre personality Prithviraj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor was
born with a rich legacy of Films, which he enhanced by blending entertainment
with social commentary portraying poverty, love and resilience of the human
spirit. Today, Raj Kapoor is remembered as an Idol and an inspiration for his
acting, film making and storytelling leaving a profound Impact on not only
filmmakers and actors but also his fans and movie lovers from across the world,
who celebrate his charming larger than life persona!
As a Tribute to India's greatest showman
the Indian Cinema Celebrates Raj Kapoor's Centenary Celebrations from 13-15th
December 2024. A grand film festival is being organised as a retrospective to
his work titled "Raj Kapoor @100 – Celebrating the Centenary of the
Greatest Showman".
To mark Raj Kapoor's contribution to the
Indian Cinema, the film festival is organised by R K Films, the Film Heritage
Foundation, NFDC, NFAI and cinemas,who have come together to mark his
contribution to the Indian cinema. The three-day fest will showcase 10 films of
Raj Kapoor across 40 cities and 135 cinemas from December 13 th to 15th.
Raj Kapoor’s films and screen characters
have drawn admiration from film connoisseurs and theatre lovers, not just in
India but abroad too, particularly from Soviet Union and the Middle East. Some
of his most popular films include Mera Naam Joker, Sangam, Bobby, Anari, Prem
Rog, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Andaaz, Barsaat, Teesri
Kasam, Dastan and Do Ustad to name a few. Many of his films were showcased
recently at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Festival des 3
Continents, and the recently concluded International Film Festival of India
(IFFI) in Goa which paid a tribute to Raj Kapoor with screenings and
discussions.
Raj Kapoor was a huge romantic. Anyone
watching his films would questionably remember his portrayal of women with
distinctive sex appeal, while he pictured them in atleast one song dressed in
while. Infact his white obsession goes back to his days when he first saw his
wife Krishna as a maiden, who wore a white saree with a gajra, which made an
everlasting impression on him. Out of all his movies Awara, Shree 420 and
Barsaat are remembered as groundbreaking films in many aspects while he created
magic with Nargis portraying her beauty in a sensual way. Nargis and Raj Kapoor
are remembered for their brilliant chemistry and romantic songs like 'Hum
Tumse Mohabbat Karke', ' Pyar hua Iqrar Hua', while it was an absolute delight
to watch them romance each other.
Raj Kapoor introduced many actresses
including south super star Padmini and Vyjayanthimala making them the screen
icons. While Padmini became his lifeline when Nargis decided to do Mehboob
Khan's Mother India, who promised to give her the most iconic role of her
career and she agreed to leave the R K Banner. Raj Kapoor was so upset that he
refused to direct films untill he met Padmini at the Moscow Youth Festival,
where she won the best classical dancer Award. Raj Kapoor was charmed by her
grace while they became good friends as Padmini was by his side to cheer him up
during his illness. This overwhelmed the Showman and he casted Padmini in his
next film 'Jis Desh Main Ganga Behti' hai to honour their friendship. He
captured her beauty again by casting her in 'Mera Naam Joker'.
Vyjayanthimala was already an established
Bharatnatyam dancer and an actress,when she met Raj Kapoor. She had a
distinctive poise and elegance which got her into many films with Dilip Kumar
including Devdas, Naya Daur and Ganga Jamuna. Raj Kapoor had fallen in love with
her beauty and onscreen charisma and decided to cast her in his dream project
Sangam, although she politely declined due to personal reasons.
But, Raj Kapoor persisted to convince her
untill she accepted the role, which became a turning point in her life. Her
exquise costumes were designed by Oscar winning designer Bhanu Athaiya. Her
selection of costumes for 'Main ka Karoon Ram' and her cabaret like
performances became instant hits. Although they were kind of jaw dropping for
the then Indian audiences, while she reluctantly wore the most recalled red
swimming costume in ' Bol Radha Bol'. Vyjayanthimala infact paved way for many
south actresses including Sridevi and Hema Malini to make a smooth transition
to Bollywood.
The showman had his journey of ups and
downs, but he kept going strong saying the show must go on. 'Mera Naam Joker'
was Raj Kapoor's dream project, which showcased the relationships he shared
with the women in his life. He was so passionate about the subject that he
pumped most of his savings in it. The film featured Simi Garewal, Padmini and
the Russian Actress Kseniya Ryabinkia. The film became one of the most talked
about films of that time for its sexual content and semi nudity,but
surprisingly did not get an A certificate form the censors. Although the movie
has all the masala for curiosity, it bombed badly at box office causing huge
losses bringing him on the verge of bankruptcy.
It was the time of financial crises,
despair and introspection, when Raj Kapoor saw his son Rishi Kapoor as his Ray
of hope and casted him against Dimple Kapadia in a teenage lover story
'Bobby'.The film had that fresh teenage innocence and romance which became a
massive hit at the Box office with the song ' Hum Tum Ek Kamre Main Band
Ho'.The film also created a style statement with Dimple Kapadia's tie-up tops
and short skirts.
Raj Kapoor was perhaps infatuated with the
concept of a noble soul with an ugly face, as he played himself in his first
film Aag, where he had a burnt face. He again attempted the same concept in
Satyam Shivam Sundaram,which was a tale of a man falling in love with a women
with a golden voice, who has a beautyful body but a scarred face, played by
Zeenat Aman who played an adivasi girl in half clad saree,beautiful portraying
her sensuality. The film made an uproar because of its sexual content. Despite
the tumult the censor board has no issues with Nudity,and Raj Kapoor was asked
to edit the scenes, which he managed well, so that it did not look crude and
provocative.
Discussing Raj Kapoor’s films and
filmmaking, his great grand son Ranbir Kapoor said at the IFFI 2024, that he is
a bigger fan of Raj Kapoor the filmmaker than Raj Kapoor the actor. He also
spoke about how, Raj Kapoor's films messaged socialist reforms which is visible
in his films like 'Awaara' addressing casteism, and 'Shree 420' dealing with
greed and so on.
Raj Kapoor often portrayed characters of
the common man, an underdog with a heart of gold, in films like Awaara and
Shree 420 his Chaplin-esque portrayal became iconic. In Shree 420 Raj Kapoor's
character is of a poor guy new to the the big city Bombay, falls in love with a
virtuous girl Vidya ( Nargis) ,while he is seduced by the unethical rich
lifestyle in influence of an unscrupulous businessmen.
In Awaara Raj Kapoor plays a criminal who
changes for the love of his life played by Nargis.The film earned many
international recognitions for the song "Awaara Hoon" becoming a
global hit especially resonating in Russia, the Middle East, and other parts of
Asia. Indian movies became widely popular in Soviet Russia,because they had
closed western and hollywood movies.They stared showing Raj Kapoor's films like
'Mera Naam Joker' and 'Awaara' because they fit the narrative they wanted to
show. Also, Raj Kapoor left no stone unturned to promote his films there which
death with social subjects which they could resonate with.
Raj Kapoor won Numerous Filmfare Awards, including for Best Director and Best Actor. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan (1971), India's third-highest civilian award and The Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1987), India’s highest award in cinema. His films were nominated and celebrated at many international film festivals.
Raj Kapoor passed away on June 2, 1988, but his influence on Indian cinema lives on, cementing his place as one of its greatest showmen.
