Today, Dec 14, is the birth centenary of the greatest showman and the man considered the doyen of film-making, the first son of the first family of Bollywood: Raj Kapoor.
RK is more celebrated as a filmmaker than an actor, but one cannot overlook his acting prowess by any means.
Although RK remains the epitome of the loveable, luckless tramp with a heart of gold, he has also played roles as the suave and sophisticated urbanite, who, although cheeky and irreverent still possessed an underlying vulnerability that he portrayed so effectively through his eyes and his body language. His self-derisive and resigned facial expression and body language in 'Hum tujhse mohabbat karke sanam' embodying the embittered and heartbroken lover is something rare for any actor during those times. It tells you exactly what his character is feeling even if we did not hear the words of the song. Which is why, I stress, that he was undermined as an actor at the expense of playing up his film-making abilities.
His musicality and ability to hit the nub on the right songs for his movies has been much talked about, but it does deserve mention again because the way he wove his songs seamlessly into the tapestry of his story remains a masterclass. His staple music partners, Shankar-Jaikishan have spoken of how they would compose 5-6 tunes for a particular situation and he would pick one because he was just that discerning.
People make the mistake of assuming he always played the bumbling innocent unfamiliar with the ways of the world but that's a mistake. The Raj in Awara had nothing in common with the Raj in Shree 420 except for the ankle length pants. Or even Rajkumar in Anari or Hiraman in Teesri Kasam. Or the poor, unemployed, unnamed youth in Jaagte Raho who wanders the streets of a heartless big city in search of a drink of water and instead is exposed to the dark and putrid underbelly of corruption and chaos. Who barely speaks a word with his mouth but says volumes with his eyes. Jaagte Raho remains among his best, if not his best performance as an actor.
His movies always had social and moral undertones and there was always a takeaway for the audience - a point to ponder, a slice of real life to dissect, or a lesson to learn. This is seen even in the case of movies he did not direct such as Jaagte Raho, Anari, Teesri Kasam and Phir subah hogi. He consciously chose such movies because he understood the bigger picture: that movie making was more than just providing mere time-pass entertainment. He had a social and moral responsibility to the public that paid to see his movies and that thought reflected in his choices.
He was born Shrishti Nath Kapoor (aka Ranbir Raj Kapoor) in Peshawar in 1924 and his family moved to Bombay where he began apprenticing very early on, also appearing in a small role in the movie Inquilaab (1935). It was only when he began assisting Kidar Sharma that he was offered a lead role opposite Madhubala in Neelkamal (1947).
But his focus was always filmmaking, never acting. He was courageous enough to branch out on his own - despite the formidable legacy his father, the legendary Prithviraj Kapoor had set up in the form of Prithvi theater - and set up RK studios, making his first film under the banner, Aag, at the tender age of 24! Watching Aag it's hard to believe that kind of maturity and complexity of thoughts and ideas could come from someone so young.
Not to mention the innovations he brought about and his novel way of depicting allegory and symbolism - like the Tere bina aag ye chandni/ Ghar aaya mere pardesi dream sequence famous for its imagery, the heavenly staircase and the dark depths of hell showing how much Raj is torn between choosing an honest life and Rita - the love of his life or the life of crime he was sucked into by the villainous KN Singh. Or the symbolism in the songs Mud mud ke na dekh and O janewale mud ke zara dekh ke jaana demonstrating how he's torn between Maya (Nadira/illusion) and Vidya (Nargis/ truth or knowledge).
He has been awarded the Padma Bhushan and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, and also has 11 Filmfare awards for acting and directing under his belt.
Let's celebrate this visionary film-maker and actor today on this significant milestone.
Tell us about your favorite RK movies and songs.
And vote in these song polls!
PS: mods please GA.
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