RAJ KAPOOR...........

Ranbir Raj Kapoor, the eldest son of Prithvi Raj Kapoor, started his career in Kidar Sharma's 'Neelkamal' in 1947. But much before that, he had failed his matric examination and joined as an assistant with Kidar Sharma. He even swept and mopped floors and was a clapper boy before he actually became the hero that he was.

Things clicked for Raj Kapoor and in 1948, he directed his first film 'Aag' which had three leading ladies. But that film was not that big a hit and there was a lukewarm response. But it was Mehboob's 'Andaz' with Nargis in 1949 which brought him recognition and fame in the industry. There was no looking back from there on. There came many of his directorial ventures like 'Barsaat' (1949), 'Awara' (1951), 'Shree 420' (1955) and 'Anari' (1959) which paved his powerful acting career. His pairing with Nargis was the most liked one and they kept doing many more films together. His favourite tramp image brought him all the more love and adulation. Some more of his movies are 'Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai' (1961) and 'Mera Naam Joker' (1970). Most of his films like 'Awara' were shown in many foreign countries also and his reputation as an actor reached unprecedented heights. He made films to introduce his sons in the industry. For Randhir Kapoor, it was 'Kal Aaj Aur Kal', for Rishi it was 'Bobby' and Rajiv Kapoor was launched in 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili'. This was the last movie which Raj Kapoor directed. His incomplete film 'Henna' was completed by his son Randhir Kapoor. Despite these, he made many more films like 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram' (1978) starring Shashi Kapoor and Zeenat Aman and also 'Prem Rog' (1982) which had Rishi and Padmini Kolhapure. He was the biggest showman that India had and his films were so good that even today, given a chance, people will throng to see them.


Born: December 14, 1924
Died: June 2, 1988
Achievements: Known as Showman of Hindi Cinema; honored with Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his contribution to Indian Cinema. .

Raj Kapoor was the doyen of Hindi cinema. He was a multitalented artiste. Raj Kapoor was an actor, director and producer. Raj Kapoor is also famous as Showman of Hindi Cinema.

Raj Kapoor was born on December 14, 1924 in a town called Samandru in Peshawar (now in Pakistan). His family left Peshawar and came to Bombay in 1929. Raj Kapoor's father Prithviraj Kapoor himself was a well-known actor. Raj Kapoor was the eldest of the four children. His other two brothers Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor also are well-known actors.




Raj Kapoor started his career as a clap boy assisting Kidar Sharma. In 1935, at the age of eleven, Raj Kapoor appeared in his first film Inquilab. In 1946, Raj Kapoor married Krishna Malhotra, his aunt and his father's second cousin. Raj Kapoor's big break came in 1947, when he played leading role in the film Neel Kamal, directed by Kidar Sharma. In 1948, at the age of twenty-four, Raj Kapoor established his own studio, R. K. Films, and became the youngest film director of his time. His first movie as a director was Aag (Fire). The film was an instant success.

Thereafter, Raj Kapoor directed several films. He also acted in most of them. Some of the famous films directed by Raj Kapoor are Barsaat (1949), Awaara (1951), Shri 420 (1955), and Sangam (1964). He formed a hit pair with Nargis. Raj Kapoor depicted the story of common man in his films and his films appealed to every section of the society. Raj Kapoor had great sense of music and the music of his films was very popular not only in India but in countries like Russia too. Film historians have characterized Raj Kapoor as the "Charlie Chaplin of India," since he often himself played a tramp-like figure who, despite adversity, could still be cheerful and honest.

After the commercial failure of his ambitious film Mera Naam Joker in 1970, Raj Kapoor's films took a turn toward sensuality. In 1973, Raj Kapoor released Bobby, which started the trend of teenage romance in Indian cinema. He introduced Dimple Kapadia in Bobby who later went on to become a mega star. The film showed Dimple Kapadia in bikini, which was a bold attempt considering societal standards at that point of time. He further pushed the boundaries of sensuality in his other films like Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) and Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985). Raj Kapoor's film carried social message too. For example, his film Premrog (1982) advocated widow remarriage.

For his contribution to Indian cinema Raj Kapoor was honored with Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1987. He died on June 2, 1988 due to asthma related complications. At the time of his death he was working on the film Henna, based on a love story between an Indian boy and Pakistani girl .The film was later completed by his son Randhir Kapoor and was a major commercial success.

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.