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Known as the Showman of Indian Cinema, the image of Raj Kapoor as
the Charlie Chaplin like 'Raju' is hard to forget. This Bollywood
actor- director was born in Peshawar on 14 December 1924 to
Prithviraj Kapoor, a famous actor.
As a child, Raj was affectionately called Chisto, Gora or Lashkaree.
Even in school Raj Kapoor was more interested in extra-curricular
activities like debates and acting. Since childhood Raj was
interested in filmmaking but in those days there were no film
schools where one could study. So Raj dropped out of school to work
with Bombay Talkies as a clapper boy. There he started picking up
knowledge about films by hanging out in editing labs, paying
attention to the director and observing the going-on's around him.
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Did you know? |
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Raj Kapoor's
first film role was at the age of seven in Inquilab, produced in 1935 by
Debaki Bose. |
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Raj Kapoor was convinced that his future lay in filmmaking. At the
age of 23 he pumped in all his money to produce his first film 'Aag'
in which he acted as well as directed. Aag was a big hit and Raj
Kapoor was credited with introducing a youthful style of films.
The success of his second film Barsaat (1949) enabled him to launch
R K Studios, and established Raj Kapoor and Nargis as hindi cinema's
most popular romantic star couple. |
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It was with Awara (1951) that Raj Kapoor first emerged as a
lovable tramp. Raj played a young tramp who comes to Bombay in
search of an honorable existence only to find himself caught in
the world of criminals. The story deals with his struggle to
find an honourable way out of the underworld. His trademark,
rolled up trousers, patched overcoat and bowler hat in Awara
were adored by audiences both at home and abroad. Awara became
so popular in the USSR that puppet shows featuring Raj and
Nargis dolls were organized, the film was dubbed in Russian and
its prints were even flown out to two Soviet expeditions near
the North Pole! |
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Fundu
Fact |
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Shri 420,
released in 1955 is one of Raj Kapoor's most popular films. The popular
song Mera Joota hai Japani is from this film. The numbers 420 are
commonly used for someone who has a reputation for theft and cheating.
Do you know why? It is because Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code
(law) deals with such crimes!!! |
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As part
of the trio of Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor
emerged as one of India's best-loved screen idols.
With
Jagte Raho (1957) Raj Kapoor entered the ranks of more srious or art
film makers. The film dealing with the adventures of a thief who
runs from house to house trying to escape from the police received
the Grand Prix at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in 1958.
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Sangam,
produced in 1964, was Raj Kapoor's first film in color. The film tells
the tale of a love triangle, but with patriotism and the spirit of
sacrifice as its backdrop. Sangam became the biggest box-office grosser
in the history of Indian cinema, a record it held for 5 years. |
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Did you know? |
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Raj Kapoor
most ambitious project was also one of his biggest failures. Mera Naam
Joker was a three hour-long film, which took six years to film and cost
a fortune to make. It was in part based on Raj Kapoor's own life but was
set in the backdrop of a circus. |
Raj Kapoor continued making films like Bobby, Satyam Shivam Sundaram,
Prem Rog and Ram Teri Ganga Maili. Kapoor's later films stood out for
their showmanship and glamour as much as his earlier films had been
noticed for their social vision.
He was
honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1988, and died soon after.
What remains however is his contribution to Indian Cinema and his place
as one of its finest products. |
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