December 14th 2020 marks the 96th Birthday Anniversary of the late Raj Kapoor. He is widely regarded as the greatest showman in the history of Indian cinema. He is also known as the Charlie Chaplin of Indian Cinema.
Raj Kapoor is revered for his iconic characters and films with socialist themes. Though his production house, R.K. Films, has set the standard of Indian cinema. He received multiple accolades, including three National Film Awards and eleven Filmfare Awards in India.
The films and its evergreen songs is loved by almost everyone in India. His films which are blockbusters and even attracted the audience from worldwide are mentioned below:
AWARA (1951)
Awara secured international fame for Raj Kapoor. He was a nominee for the Palmed’Or grand prize for his film Awara. The film introduces the tramp character, inspired by Charlie Chaplin’s films, in Indian cinema. It tells the story of judge(Prithviraj Kapoor) who is forced to punish his son (Raj Kapoor), a criminal whom he disowned earlier. Actress Nargis stars as a female lead.
BOOT POLISH (1954)
Boot Polish is a Hindi comedy drama and it won Best Film award at Filmfare. Raj Kapoor was nominee for the Palmed’Or grand prize for the film Boot Polish. The film stares at two orphan siblings Belu(Baby Naaz) and Bhola (Ratan Kumar), whom are forced to beg by their conniving aunt(Chand Burque), they chose to earn money by polishing shoes. However, when a policeman comes after them, the two get separated.
SHREE420 (1955)
In the movie Raj Kapoor stars as a poor villager who succumbs to the charms of the corrupt, but glamorous urban world. Nargis stars as a humble teacher and Kapoor’s love interest. The film features the unforgettable songs, “Mera Joota Hai Japani” and “Pyar Hua Ikraar Hua.”
MERA NAAM JOKER (1970)
The film got much applaud as the film is partly inspired by Raj Kapoor’s life. It deals with Raju, a clown who is performing his final stage show. Three women (Simi Garewal, Padmini and Kseniya Ryabinkina), who were involved with Raju at certain points in his life, are invited to attend the performance.
BOBBY (1973)
Raj Kapoor casts his son late actor Rishi Kapoor in the movie as a lead character Raja, which made Rishi Kapoor an overnight star. It is a teenage romance drama with class conflict as the subject. Bobby was the debut film for actress Dimple Kapadia, who played the titular character. The evergreen songs, “Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein”, “Jhoot Bole Kauva Kate”, “Main Shayar To Nahin” and “Na Mangun Sona Chandi”, are from this film.
RAM TERI GANGA MAILI (1985)
This Raj Kapoor’s directorial movie get into a controversy during its release because some scenes featuring actress Mandakini. The film deals with the destruction of innocence, social disparity and decadence among the elite.